Newsletters
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday condemned Germany’s decision to classify the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as an extremist organization, calling it “tyranny in disguise.”
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, recently labeled the AfD a right-wing extremist group, granting authorities expanded powers to surveil the party and prompting growing calls for its potential ban.
“Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition,” Rubio said on X. “That’s not democracy — it’s tyranny in disguise. Germany should reverse course.”
The AfD came in second in German state elections held in February, doubling its vote share to more than 20 percent. The BfV said the extremist designation was warranted due to the AfD’s alleged attempts to “undermine the free, democratic order” in Germany.
“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,” Rubio added.
The comments mark the latest instance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration weighing in on German domestic politics, a move that has repeatedly drawn criticism in Berlin.
Vice President J.D. Vance caused alarm in February during a speech in Munich, where he warned that freedom of expression was under threat in Europe, singling out Germany. Vance also met with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel and criticized efforts to ostracize the party.
3 min read
