Quick Hit:

Germany’s former head of domestic intelligence is accusing the agency he once led of becoming a political tool used to target the populist right, particularly the surging Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. Hans Georg Maaßen says the move to label AfD as “right-wing extremist” is an unprecedented abuse of power that mirrors tactics used to suppress political opposition.

Key Details:

• The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) is trying to classify AfD as a “right-wing extremist” group, enabling surveillance and infiltration.
• Former BfV chief Hans Georg Maaßen accuses the agency of acting under political pressure from left-wing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
• A leaked report showed the designation was based almost entirely on public statements, with no classified or criminal evidence presented.

Diving Deeper:

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency is under fire, not from foreign adversaries, but from its own former chief. Hans Georg Maaßen, who led the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has issued a stark warning: the agency is being used to politically target the populist-right AfD party.

Shortly after the AfD surged in the polls and posted its best electoral performance to date, the BfV announced it had determined the party met the criteria of a “right-wing extremist” group. That label, currently facing judicial review, would allow the BfV to wiretap communications and plant informants inside the party.

Maaßen told the European Conservative that the move reeks of political motives and likely stemmed from either direct orders from Interior Minister Nancy Faeser or a decision by BfV president Thomas Haldenwang based on political calculations. “Under Minister Faeser and President Haldenwang, the BfV has been weaponised to attack political rivals,” Maaßen said. “The agency’s mandate is to protect the constitutional order—not to carry out political vendettas.”

In a leaked copy of the BfV's decision, published by Die Welt, it was revealed that the designation relied almost exclusively on public statements made by AfD leaders. It cited criticisms of globalism, mass immigration, and the influence of elites, calling them incompatible with human dignity—language that echoes ideological policing more than legal justification.

One cited example was AfD Thuringia leader Björn Höcke’s reference to “globalist masterminds” and “American corporations” exerting undue influence over Berlin. The BfV labeled this antisemitic, despite no explicit reference to Jews.

Maaßen, who resisted similar pressure during his tenure in 2016, called this a clear overreach. “An intelligence agency can only function if it’s trusted. I don’t know how the BfV recovers from this.” He warned that this isn’t isolated to Germany. He pointed to Marine Le Pen’s legal troubles in France and Romania’s banning of Călin Georgescu as evidence of a broader European trend: “lawfare” to suppress populist movements.

"Hans-Georg Maaßen 02" by Bundesministerium des Innern/Sandy Thieme licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED.