SPD leader Esken: Interior ministers must now collect evidence about the AfD

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In the course of the discussion about an AfD ban, SPD co-party leader Saskia Esken is calling on the interior ministers of the federal states to collect evidence and, if necessary, initiate proceedings. “I expect that the federal and state interior ministers will continue to collate the findings of the constitutional protection offices on the extremist efforts of the AfD and, if necessary, initiate procedures – for example to stop financial flows from right-wing extremist networks,” Esken told the star.

In addition, the Social Democrat expects that the constitutional bodies entitled to submit applications – i.e. the Bundestag, the Federal Government and the Bundesrat – will be continuously informed about the findings. “In dealing with the AfD and to protect our democracy and our free society, all actors, i.e. the parties, the parliaments and the constitutional state, must fulfill their tasks,” demanded the Social Democrat.

According to media reports, an application for an AfD ban is supported by members of the Bundestag from various factions. As “Welt” and “Spiegel” report unanimously, significantly more than the 37 MPs required for such a motion have come together – from the SPD, the Union, the Greens and the Left. The aim is therefore to apply to the Federal Constitutional Court for proceedings to ban the AfD. According to reports, the MPs are also calling for the AfD to be excluded from state party funding.

The SPD is currently rather skeptical about the AfD ban process. “A party ban remains the ‘ultima ratio’, the last resort,” says a circular to all members of the SPD parliamentary group that was sent out on September 20th star is present. “Such ban procedures must be carefully considered, as the requirements for a party ban are very high, as is currently being discussed in the AfD,” emphasizes Dirk Wiese, deputy parliamentary group leader, in the letter to his comrades. It would be a “big mistake to submit an inadequate application that would have negative consequences.”

SPD leader: fight the AfD politically and in terms of content

SPD co-leader Esken wants to provide the right-wing populist party with content. “We as the SPD will continue to support the AfD politically and fight its content,” said the Social Democrat. This includes exposing the AfD’s “sham solutions” and exposing its “inhumane politics.”

Parliaments and democratic institutions also need to protect themselves, warns the SPD leader. The incidents in the Thuringian state parliament have shown this. Last week, the constituent session of parliament ended with a scandal and was interrupted because the AfD’s senior president refused to allow motions and votes from the newly elected parliament ().

“The incidents make it clear that federal and state parliaments must make efforts to protect themselves, but also our courts, the media and other institutions from attacks by anti-democrats,” said the SPD leader. Democracy must be “strong and defensive against attacks from right-wing radicals”.

SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert had previously warned of the risks of a hasty ban procedure. A party ban is about whether evidence can be presented to courts “where they say that it is clearly against the constitution and therefore it should be banned,” said Kühnert on Tuesday on the ntv program “Beisenherz”. “I don’t have any such information at the moment.” He would therefore say: “Be careful at the edge of the platform”.