German Court Upholds Surveillance of Far-Right Party

A German court has ruled that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can be treated as a suspected case by domestic security services, upholding a decision made by a lower court in Cologne. The AfD's lawyers had argued that statements made by its members were aberrations of individuals and not representative of the party as a whole. However, the court disagreed, ruling that the party's ideology and actions posed a threat to democracy. This means that intelligence services will continue to keep the party under surveillance. The AfD has been classified as a suspected extremist since 2021 and is currently running second in polls, with hopes of securing significant seats in upcoming regional and European Union elections.