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Tag: extremism
May 8, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
World

Germany Reverses Designation of Populist Party as ‘Right-Wing Extremist’ Following Lawsuit, Pressure from Trump.

PULSE POINTS:

âť“What Happened: Following a lawsuit and criticism from the Trump administration, Germany’s domestic spy agency has suspended its classification of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which placed second in the country’s recent federal elections, as a right-wing extremist organization.

👥 Who’s Involved: AfD, AfD leader Alice Weidel, co-leader Tino Chrupalla, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

đź“Ť Where & When: The spy agency announced the move on May 8.

đź’¬ Key Quote: “We are defending ourselves with all legal means against the upgrade by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.” — Weidel and Chrupalla.

⚠️ Impact: The German spy agency will not surveil members of the AfD or place informants in the party as general policy until the court case is resolved.

IN FULL:

The German domestic spy agency has suspended its labelling of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a right-wing extremist organization following pressure from the Trump administration and a new lawsuit. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced it would be suspending the classification on May 8 until a court decides on the outcome of the pending lawsuit.

The AfD is appealing the classification at the Cologne Administrative Court to reverse the spy agency’s decision. If the court does not rule in favour of the party, the spy agency will be able to surveil party members and use informants to infiltrate it at scale.

Following the announcement from the spy agency, AfD leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla both claimed it as a victory, though the move will only become permanent after a ruling.

“We are defending ourselves with all legal means against the upgrade by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution,” the pair said in a statement. Their party placed second in Germany’s recent federal elections, and it is the leading party in several areas, particularly in the former East Germany.

Along with the lawsuit, the move comes after the German spy agency was widely criticised by members of Donald J. Trump’s administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise,” Rubio said.

Image by Markus Spiske.

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May 5, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
World

State Govt Bans Populist Politicians From Overseas Trips.

PULSE POINTS:

âť“What Happened: Members of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have been banned from taking part in overseas business trips by a state government after being declared a right-wing extremist organization.

👥 Who’s Involved: State of Hesse, Alternative for Germany (AfD) members.

đź“Ť Where & When: Hesse’s Europe Minister, Manfred Pentz, announced the exclusion on May 4.

đź’¬ Key Quote:  “My business trips abroad are aimed at promoting this location. I can’t achieve that if I travel with representatives of a secure right-wing extremist party.” — Minister Manfred Pentz.

⚠️ Impact: The move is part of the broader fallout from Germany’s domestic spy agency declaring the AfD an extremist group, despite the fact that it recently placed second in the country’s federal elections.

IN FULL:

A state government in Germany has banned members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from taking part in foreign business trips. The move comes after Germany’s domestic spy agency declared the AfD a right-wing extremist organisation last week.

The German state of Hesse announced it would not include AfD members in foreign business trips due to the labelling of the party as extremists. The state’s Europe Minister, Manfred Pentz, announced the exclusion of the AfD members on May 4. Pentz stated, “After the classification of the AfD, I decided not to invite representatives of this party to my foreign business trips for the time being.”

The minister argued that having the AfD on trips dealing with countries like Israel would harm Germany’s reputation, despite the AfD having many pro-Israel members. “My business trips abroad are aimed at promoting [Hesse]. I can’t achieve that if I travel with representatives of a secure right-wing extremist party,” he insisted.

Germany’s actions to declare the AfD an extremist group mean that the domestic spy agency would be able to surveil party members. The move could also lead to the AfD being banned in the future.

Members of the Trump administration have outright condemned the moves against the AfD. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”

Image by Olaf Kosinsky.

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May 2, 2025
Jack Montgomery
News
Politics

Trump Admin Condemns Germany After Populist Opposition Designated as Extremist Org: ‘Tyranny in Disguise.’

PULSE POINTS:

âť“What Happened: Germany’s domestic intelligence service classified the populist political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which placed second in the recent federal elections, as an extremist organization. The Trump administration has condemned the move as tyrannical.

đź‘Ą Who’s Involved: “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.” — Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

đź“Ť Where & When: Germany and the U.S., May 2.

đź’¬ Key Quote: “This decision by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is complete nonsense in terms of substance, has nothing to do with law and justice, and is purely political in the fight between the cartel parties against the AfD.” — Stephan Brandner for the AfD.

⚠️ Impact: The decision could intensify discussions on potentially banning the AfD, in Germany, affecting its political activities through increased surveillance, and sour relations with the U.S.

IN FULL:

Germany’s domestic intelligence service has designated the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party an extremist organization. Authorities announced the designation on May 2, which permits the use of enhanced spying to monitor the party and its leaders. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic spy agency, compiled a 1,100-page report to justify this classification, claiming that the AfD promotes an ethnocentric view of the population that discriminates against certain groups, particularly those with immigrant backgrounds. This perspective, according to Nancy Faeser, Germany’s leftist interior minister, conflicts with a constitutional decree.

On behalf of the Trump administration in the U.S., Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned the move as tyrannical, saying, “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”

“What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes,” he added, warning, “Germany should reverse course.”

AfD leaders have criticized the extremist designation as a politically motivated attack. Notably, the classification not only impacts the public image of AfD, which is currently leading in some polls, but, as Rubio warns, it also allows for deeper surveillance and scrutiny of its members. This could potentially culminate in legislative actions aimed at limiting or banning the party’s political activities altogether.

German lawmakers have already tried to introduce motions to ban the AfD in the German legislature. However, a full ban requires an order from the country’s constitutional court.

Chris Tomlinson contributed to this report.

Image by Olaf Kosinsky.

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January 9, 2025
NatSec
News

Pentagon Expert Warns of ‘Sleeping Danger’ in US Military After NOLA Attack.

The author of a Pentagon report on extremism in the U.S. military has warned that there is a growing insider threat after a veteran who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State murdered 14 people in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Bishop Garrison, the veteran leading efforts against extremist activity in the U.S. military under the Biden regime, has alerted officials to potential future domestic threats involving current or former military members.

The New Orleans attack involved former U.S. Army serviceman Shamsud-Din Jabbar driving a pickup truck into a crowd, killing 14, while in possession of an Islamic State. A separate incident on the same day saw Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty Green Beret, detonate a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, injuring several people. Both suspects served at Fort Bragg and were in Afghanistan at the same time, but no definitive connection between them had been identified as of the time of publication.

Garrison, a former White House liaison to the Defense Department under Barack Obama, led a 2021 report into extremism in the U.S. military. However, he now says, “As far as I know, there was never any implementation of our policies.” He fears incidents like those on New Year’s Day prove unresolved dangers within the military.

HEGSETH.

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, has also criticized anti-extremist efforts within the military, calling them a “sham.” However, he is critical of Garrison, accusing him of targeting Trump supporters in 2021.

“A 1619 project activist, a hard-core social justice Democrat. A man who believes all, all Trump supporters are racist and extremists. And what must we do to racists? We must define them and then we must purge them,” Hegseth said of him.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently accused Hegseth of having ties to extremism, saying he was pulled from protecting Joe Biden’s inauguration as a National Guardsman because his Christian tattoos mark him out as a potential “insider threat.”

Hegseth says criticisms of his tattoos are evidence of “anti-Christian bigotry.”

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The author of a Pentagon report on extremism in the U.S. military has warned that there is a growing insider threat after a veteran who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State murdered 14 people in New Orleans on New Year's Day. Bishop Garrison, the veteran leading efforts against extremist activity in the U.S. military under the Biden regime, has alerted officials to potential future domestic threats involving current or former military members. show more
August 21, 2024
Christopher Tomlinson
Crime
Politics
World

Antifa Unveil Billboard Encouraging Terrorism Against Populists.

Members of the left-extremist Antifa organization in Germany have called on supporters to carry out violent acts against properties associated with the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its supporters. The X (formerly Twitter) account Rote Flora, named for a well-known Antifa squat in Hamburg, posted a picture of a new billboard, which lists “13 things you can do against the AfD,” including attacking AfD members and links to a website suggesting additional violent actions.

“The AfD should not feel safe in public and should not be able to spread its agitation undisturbed,” the website “13:12 Things” states, while calling on supporters to disrupt political campaign booths. The site also provides a guide on how to attack and destroy properties associated with the AfD, including party offices, restaurants, and venues that allow the party to host events.

Along with smashing windows, the Antifa authors call for attacks with butyric acid. They also call for home invasions of AfD politicians, noting their addresses can be learned from research while warning against getting an address wrong. The political terrorist group also warns that while such actions can increase “repression,” they are “legitimate.”

The AfD is currently polling in the lead in two of three East German regional elections taking place next month. Antifa lists this as the reason for the website’s creation and call to action, with the authors admitting that much of what is on the website is illegal.

EUROPE’S ULTRA-VIOLENT ANTIFA MOVEMENT.

German Antifa extremists are known as some of the most violent far-left extremists in Europe, with one group known as the Hammerbande (Hammer Gang) carrying out maiming attacks with hammers across Germany and even abroad in Budapest, Hungary in 2023.

Hungarian authorities arrested an Italian national associated with the Hammerbande but the individual was later released and was elected to the European Parliament in May, granting her immunity from prosecution.

After former President Donald J. Trump suggested Antifa be labeled a terrorist group for their politically violent tactics, establishment figures in Europe expressed their support for the terror group, with some waving an Antifa flag in the European Parliament.

Image by Montecruz Foto.

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Members of the left-extremist Antifa organization in Germany have called on supporters to carry out violent acts against properties associated with the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its supporters. The X (formerly Twitter) account Rote Flora, named for a well-known Antifa squat in Hamburg, posted a picture of a new billboard, which lists "13 things you can do against the AfD," including attacking AfD members and links to a website suggesting additional violent actions. show more