AfD Verbot Jetzt: Germany's Debate on Banning the AfD
"AfD Verbot jetzt!", ban the AfD now. The demand is heard at demonstrations all over Germany this autumn. After the far-right party's gains in the September 2026 state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the debate about a ban has reached the highest levels of the German state. Here is a clear explainer.
What is the AfD?
The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is Germany's main far-right party. Several of its state branches, including Thuringia and Saxony, are classified by the domestic intelligence services as "confirmed right-wing extremist". In May 2025, the federal office announced the same classification for the whole party, but it is on hold while the AfD challenges it in court.
Can a party be banned in Germany?
Yes. Germany's constitution was written after the Nazi era with the idea of a wehrhafte Demokratie, a democracy that can defend itself. A party that actively fights the democratic order can be banned by the Federal Constitutional Court. Only three bodies can file the application: the Bundestag, the Bundesrat or the federal government. The court then needs a two-thirds majority to ban a party.
Where the debate stands in October 2026
- On October 16, 2026, outgoing Bundesrat president Andreas Bovenschulte called for a joint federal–state working group to examine whether the conditions for a ban are met. His point: "Prüfen heißt nicht verbieten", examining is not banning.
- SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has called for a review, and North Rhine-Westphalia's minister-president Hendrik Wüst, who takes over the Bundesrat presidency on November 1, has backed a working group.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the legal hurdles are "very, very high", and several states, including Bavaria and Hesse, oppose a ban.
- In June, the civil rights group Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte published a report of around 3,000 pages arguing that the AfD is unconstitutional.
The street is pushing
Civil society is not waiting. The PRÜF campaign, founded by satirist Nico Semsrott, holds demonstrations in state capitals asking state governments to support a review in the Bundesrat. This October, groups like Omas gegen Rechts and the "Es brennt!" human chains brought people onto the streets in all 16 federal states. Their message echoes the history of the Antifaschistische Aktion, founded in 1932: stop the far right before it takes power.
Show where you stand
AfD Verbot Jetzt T-Shirt: the demand of this autumn's demonstrations, in white and red on a heavyweight black tee. $26.
Antifaschistische Aktion T-Shirt: the original 1932 flag with its German name. $26.
Discover the whole range in our Antifaschistische Aktion shop. We ship to Germany, the EU and worldwide, with free shipping on orders over $50.
