After AfD classification: Minister rejects attitude test

Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) has ruled out blanket consequences for civil servants with an AfD party membership in the Free State following the classification of the federal AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist party. "There will not be an unreasonable attitude test or a new radical decree in Saxony," Schuster told the newspaper "taz" (Wednesday edition). Employers would not know the party membership of their employees for good reasons. "That should remain the case."

The case is different for civil servants who are seeking a security-related job, Schuster told the newspaper. "Then there is already a check today - and that is a problem for members of an extremist party." For the majority of civil servants, however, mere membership is not sufficient for the assumption of an official offense.

No quick fixes in the AfD ban procedure

Schuster also spoke out against an AfD ban procedure. The CDU politician emphasized that the bar for a ban is far higher than a classification by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. "I therefore cannot understand the furor with which many are now calling for a ban procedure." A successful ban by the Federal Constitutional Court would also require a combative and aggressive approach. According to the minister, this has not been easy to prove so far.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced on Friday that it considers the AfD to be a confirmed right-wing extremist party. The AfD has since filed a lawsuit against the classification.