More than 1,000 lawyers and legal scholars in Germany have publicly called on the government and parliament to launch proceedings to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to multiple German outlets.
The appeal was made in an open letter addressed to the federal government and the Bundestag, as reported by DIE ZEIT, tagesschau.de, WELT, and the Tagesspiegel. The letter, signed by over a thousand jurists, argues that the party should be outlawed under German constitutional law.
The signatories are urging lawmakers to take the formal step of asking the Federal Constitutional Court to review the AfD’s status. Under Germany’s Basic Law, a party can be banned if it is found to be actively working against the democratic order. The court would have the final say on whether the AfD meets that threshold.
The push comes amid ongoing political debate in Germany about how to respond to the AfD’s rising support and its classification by domestic intelligence agencies. Several state branches of the party have already been designated as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by federal authorities, a designation that has fueled calls for action.
The open letter is a coordinated effort by legal professionals who believe that a ban is both legally viable and necessary to protect democratic institutions. However, the decision to file a formal application rests with the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, or the federal government, not with the public or the signatories themselves.
Observers will now watch whether the letter gains traction among parliamentary groups, as any formal move would trigger a lengthy and politically charged legal process.
