Factual News Report: Nearly Half of Germans Support Ban on Far-Right AfD Party

A recent poll by the Insa Institute for Bild am Sonntag reveals that 48% of Germans favor banning the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified it as a “proven extremist group,” Anadolu Agency reported.

The survey, conducted May 2–3 among 1,001 respondents, showed 37% oppose the ban, while 15% remain undecided.

The BfV’s designation, announced on Friday, followed a three-year investigation concluding that the AfD’s ethno-nationalist agenda threatens Germany’s democratic order. The agency cited the party’s exclusionary rhetoric targeting Muslims and migrants as incompatible with constitutional principles. The AfD, currently polling at a record 26%, denounced the move as “defamatory” and pledged legal action.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz cautioned against hasty bans, noting the Constitutional Court’s stringent criteria. Past attempts to outlaw far-right parties, like the NPD in 2003 and 2017, failed due to legal technicalities or insufficient evidence.

The AfD’s rising popularity stems from anti-immigration campaigns and discontent with mainstream politics. Meanwhile, 61% of poll respondents view the party as extremist, though 79% said the BfV’s assessment did not alter their prior opinions.