According to a report from German newspaper Junge Freiheit published yesterday, all officers are being threatened with dismissal for their membership in the Alternative for Germany (AfD). However, it remains unclear whether the police will actually proceed with such dismissals.
The internal memo leaked to Junge Freiheit states that employees working for the police “in a party classified as definitely right-wing extremist” brought up questions of loyalty to the constitution.
The internal memo is now threatening “disciplinary consequences, including dismissal,” if police are found to be members of the party. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is specifically named, which also corresponds with a decree issued on Aug. 29, 2024.
Junge Freiheit notes cites Volker Boehme-Neßler, a professor of constitutional law in Oldenburg, who is critical of the stance of the federal police.
“If that is true, it is a real scandal,” he wrote on X. He argues that the Basic Law guarantees that civil servants can maintain membership in parties that are not banned.
“You cannot therefore fire a civil servant just because of membership in the AfD.”
Wenn das stimmt, ist das ein echter Skandal. Selbstverständlich garantiert das Grundgesetz, dass Beamte Mitglied einer Partei sein dürfen, die nicht verboten ist. Man kann deshalb keinen Beamten nur wegen der Mitgliedschaft in der AfD entlassen! Das gilt auch für die… https://t.co/o9SBEMsghh
— Volker Boehme-Neßler (@NeBoehme) January 15, 2025In essence, threatening dismissal from the police simply because they are AfD members appears to be illegal under the German constitution. Even the fact that a party is determined to be “definitely right-wing extremist” is not necessarily a condition for dismissal unless there are other factors at work. At least according to the standard stipulated by Boehme-Neßler, a ban is necessary first.
While German politicians are working towards a ban, such an action could be years away, if it ever comes to pass at all. The AfD is currently polling at 22 percent and is the second most popular party in the country.
However, Junge Freiheit writes that the intranet memo does not explicitly state that members will be fired — only that the potential is there.
“If membership in such a party becomes known, there are sufficient factual indications to justify the suspicion of a disciplinary offense, at least if the civil servant is actively involved in such a party,” reads the portal.
The memo also points to AfD state associations in Saxony and Thuringia, where the party is classified by the state offices of the Office of the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) as “certainly right-wing extremist.” If a police officer runs for the AfD as a candidate, it would risk “mandatory initiation of disciplinary proceedings.”
The memo does not clarify if this would be limited to Saxony and Thuringia or if it applies to all of Germany.
In March of last year, the new police commissioner, Uli Grötsch, stated that membership in the AfD was “highly problematic” due to racist and right-wing extremist views. Grötsch is a member of the left-wing Social Democrats (SPD).
“I think it is highly problematic if police employees are members of the AfD or support the party in other ways,” he stated in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
In another report on AfD members in the police in the state of Thuringia, where the AfD is highly popular, it was revealed that there are AfD members in the police force but only in the “high single digits.” It did not mention if any disciplinary proceedings are being brought against these officers.
However, in one case, an AfD member was working for the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). He also stood for the AfD in various elections. He was then banned from the premises of the BND.
Based on the number of police officers in Thurinigia, there are highly unlikely to be many AfD members in the police force in all of Germany. In part, threats such as the one in the internal memo, coupled with statements by top law enforcement officials, means that membership of the AfD appears to be a career killer for German police officers — and according to internal documents, could very well mean the end of employment entirely.
