Comedian Hape Kerkeling has called for the launch of proceedings to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD), speaking at a hearing in the Thuringian state parliament, according to reports from WELT, DIE ZEIT and derStandard.de. The session marked the first hearing in Germany on a possible AfD ban, derStandard.de reported.
n-tv.de framed the hearing around what it described as fear, lies and hatred, and noted that the AfD put no question to Kerkeling. The same outlet reported that Hans-Georg Maaßen, a former head of Germany's domestic intelligence service, went to eat with Björn Höcke, a leading AfD figure in Thuringia.
Coverage of Kerkeling's intervention varied. WELT asked whether the evidence presented is sufficient to support a ban, while Tagesspiegel described the comedian as having become a prominent campaigner against the party.
The hearing places the question of a ban before state-level proceedings in Thuringia, where the AfD is among the strongest political forces. Under German law, banning a party is a matter for the Federal Constitutional Court, and such cases require evidence that a group actively works against the free democratic order.
What to watch next: whether the hearing leads to formal steps toward a ban case, and how the AfD and its critics respond.
