The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has classified the youth organization of the AfD party, the Junge Alternative (JA), as right-wing extremism. Similarly, it has also made the same decision regarding the right-wing organizations Institut fuer Staatspolitik (IfS) and Ein Prozent.

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Previously, the intelligence agency had suspected these organizations of right-wing extremism and had been monitoring them for several years, according to the RND news portal.

The positions of these three organizations are not in line with the Constitution, stated the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, in a statement by the Federal Office.

The BfV is focusing not only on extremists oriented towards violence but also on “groups of people who permanently disseminate ideologies and concepts that are incompatible with human dignity and democracy.”

The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, commented that “not only violent right-wing extremists are dangerous but also intellectual arsonists who prepare the ground for violence.”

The new classification has no direct impact on the organizations and their members. Previously, when they were classified as suspicious, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution could also observe them using intelligence tools.

However, members of these organizations will also find it harder to get into the police or other public service positions or to apply for permission for possession of weapons, according to RND.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) is a right-wing populist political party, known for its anti-immigration and anti-European Union views. In the last federal election, it received over 10 percent of the vote.