US Vice President JD Vance has sharply criticized the German government’s treatment of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, comparing it to the reconstruction of the Berlin Wall.

On Friday, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), officially designated the AfD as an "extremist" organization, citing "xenophobic, anti-minority, Islamophobic, and anti-Muslim statements made by leading party officials" as justification for the move. 

Reacting on X, Vance condemned the decision and suggested it was an attack on democracy, he wrote: "The AfD is the most popular party in Germany, and by far the most representative of East Germany. Now the bureaucrats try to destroy it."

"The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt, not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment," Vance added.

Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.

What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 2, 2025

 AfD gains popularity, faces political isolation

Founded in 2013 as a response to Germany’s handling of the eurozone debt crisis, the AfD has since focused on stricter immigration laws and opposition to what it calls the "woke agenda", adding that the party has also voiced criticism of NATO and held protests against sending weapons to Ukraine.

In the February federal elections, the AfD finished second, securing 152 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag. Leading opinion polls with 26% support, the party saw a significant surge in popularity, especially in the economically disadvantaged regions of former East Germany.

Moreover, the party’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, accused the government of attempting to silence dissent: "Since the AfD is the strongest party in polls now, they want to suppress the opposition & freedom of speech," she posted on X.

Der Verfassungsschutz ist nicht neutral, sondern politisch steuerbar – eindrücklich belegt durch diese Anekdote: Der CSU-Politiker Seehofer ließ das AfD-Gutachten entschärfen, weil seine eigenen Islam-Aussagen denen der AfD in nichts nachstanden. Beobachtung? Nur für die anderen. pic.twitter.com/Cr0wVqyJtl

— Beatrice Achterberg (@BeaBovary) May 2, 2025

Far-right links and controversies plague AfD

The AfD’s rise has been accompanied by numerous controversies, while some members have faced scrutiny for alleged ties to far-right and neo-Nazi groups, and others have used language reminiscent of Nazi-era slogans.

These associations have intensified efforts by major German political parties to maintain a ‘firewall’ by refusing any coalition or cooperation with the AfD.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance criticized this approach.

“Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There is no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don’t,” the US vice president said.