• Germany's BfV designates AfD as a right-wing extremist party.
• US officials, including JD Vance and Marco Rubio, criticized the classification.
• The decision allows increased monitoring of the AfD's activities.
• AfD leadership claims the designation is politically motivated.
• The classification has renewed calls to ban the party ahead of upcoming elections.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), has designated the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a "right-wing extremist" group, a move that has triggered a significant diplomatic dispute with the United States. The BfV stated that the AfD's ideology undermines the democratic order and that it tends to exclude certain populations based on ethnicity and descent, particularly criticizing the party's stance on citizens primarily from Muslim countries. This designation extends previous classifications of local branches to the party as a whole, granting authorities enhanced powers to monitor its activities through surveillance tactics such as phone interception and undercover operations, according to BBC, South China Morning Post, and India Times.

The response from US officials was swift, with Vice President JD Vance accusing Germany of resurrecting a "Berlin Wall," suggesting that the situation is an attempt by the German establishment to suppress opposition. He criticized this action as contrary to the historical efforts made to promote democracy in Europe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed these sentiments, labeling the move as "tyranny in disguise" and urging Germany to reverse its decision. The criticism was publicly rebuffed by Germany's Foreign Ministry, which asserted that the decision was grounded in a thorough investigation aimed at protecting the constitution and democracy, according to BBC, South China Morning Post, and India Times.

The AfD, which recently achieved significant electoral success by garnering over 20% of the vote in national elections, has dubbed the classification a "heavy blow" to democracy and a politically motivated act. The party's leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, have committed to mounting a legal challenge against the designation. This controversy has reignited calls among German lawmakers for a potential ban on the AfD, with influential figures such as Lars Klingbeil from the Social Democrats (SPD) expressing concerns about the party's intentions to dismantle democratic structures, as noted in reports from BBC, South China Morning Post, and India Times.