Processes – Cologne – court negotiates AfD lawsuit against the protection of the constitution – Panorama
Cologne (dpa) – A politically explosive procedure begins this Tuesday (10 a.m.) at the Cologne administrative court. The AfD has filed four lawsuits against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which deal, among other things, with whether the domestic secret service can classify the party as a suspected case or as a secured right-wing extremist movement. According to his own statements, party leader Tino Chrupalla will travel to the cathedral city for the hearing, which has been scheduled for two days.
Hundreds of briefs have already been exchanged in the process. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution submits several documents. The aim was, for example, to explain the statements with which officials of the party represented in the Bundestag since 2017 violated the rule of law or the principle of democracy, or disregarded the human dignity of migrants, Muslims and other minorities. The hearing was a long time coming, as the court decided in 2021 not to set a date shortly before the federal election.
Another lawsuit is about the installation of the alleged wing of the AfD as a secured right-wing extremist effort. The network founded by the Thuringian AfD head of state Björn Höcke has now been formally dissolved. In addition, the AfD will ensure that their youth organization is no longer considered a suspected right-wing extremist. The party also wants to force the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to withdraw the statement that the “wing” had around 7,000 members before it was dissolved.
In order to enable public participation in the proceedings despite the corona pandemic, the hearing was moved to a hall at Koelnmesse.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220307-99-423578/2