• Far-right extremist

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is often classified as a "far-right extremist party." However, the term has no clear-cut definition. In the broadest sense, it means that a party stands far to the right of the political center. Far-right parties are often associated with strong nationalism, racism, an authoritarian view of the state and a rejection of a liberal, pluralistic society.

Political scientist Armin Pfahl-Traughber of Germany's Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences does not think that a far-right party is necessarily anti-democratic.

Speaking to DW, he explained why he considers the term "far-right extremist" more appropriate when discussing the AfD: "When it comes to the rejection of the fundamental values of a modern democracy — such as democracy, the separation of powers, human rights and pluralism — coupled with an overemphasis on ethnic identity, I use the label 'far-right extremist.'"

In his view, the AfD has undergone a transformation since its founding in 2013: "What began as a right-wing democratic party with a right-wing extremist minority has, over the years, developed into a right-wing extremist party with a right-wing democratic minority."

• Right-wing populist

The word "populism" is derived from the Latin populus, which means "the people." Aside from that the term has no clear definition. It is frequently used to describe politicians or political parties who seek to curry favor with the masses.

According to Pfahl-Traughber, right-wing populism has several defining characteristics: It views the people as a single entity (and thus rejects pluralism), and it posits an opposition between "them" and "us," which usually means "the people" versus "the elites."

Furthermore, right-wing populists often seek to align themselves directly with the "common people" and claim to know what the people are thinking and demanding. The term is also frequently used to describe the AfD because its political style embodies these defining characteristics.

• Right-wing conservative

The term "right-wing conservative" is usually applied to politicians or parties that emphasize the importance of conservative values such as homeland and the traditional family, as well as nationalism, a strong state and "law and order." Unlike right-wing extremists, they do not necessarily view the people as a racial or ethnic unity. They generally accept the fundamental principles of democracy and the existing constitutional order.

However, there have also been historical instances of anti-democratic movements emerging from right-wing conservatism: for example, the supporters of the Conservative Revolution in Germany, whose leading figures included Oswald Spengler, Ernst Jünger and Carl Schmitt. They rejected parliamentarism, modernity and social diversity, and called for a state ruled by an authoritarian leader. To this day, there are great admirers of these ideologues within the AfD and its circles. Björn Höcke, one of the most influential AfD politicians, for example, repeatedly refers to such thinkers in his book, "Nie zweimal in denselben Fluss" (Never in the same river twice).

• völkisch

"Völkisch" is an adjectival form of the German noun, das Volk, or the people. However, since the late 19th century, das Volk has been used to refer to an ethnically pure community and has been strongly antisemitic from the outset. The völkisch movement was a precursor to the murderous National Socialism under Adolf Hitler. His party, the NSDAP, named its official party newspaper the "Völkischer Beobachter" (The Völkisch Observer).

Today, politicians and experts accuse the AfD of holding völkisch views because its officials repeatedly distinguish between Germans with and without a history of migration.

Armin Pfahl-Traughber believes that today it is a "vaguely defined concept that is used excessively."

• fascist

The word describes an extreme political posture that invokes a nationalist, anti-democratic worldview. The term is derived from the Italian word fascio, or "bundle." Originally, it was the self-designation of the movement surrounding the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the early 20th century. Key characteristics of fascism under Mussolini included ultranationalism, the endorsement of the principle of a leader, the rejection of democracy and the glorification of violence and war. German National Socialism under Adolf Hitler drew on the Italian fascist movement and was later classified by historians as an extreme form of fascism.

The applicability of the term to far-right extremist movements today is a matter of debate among scholars.

"In most cases, the groups in question cannot be equated with Hitler or Mussolini's movements," argues Pfahl-Traughber.

In Germany, it is legal to refer to AfD politician Björn Höcke as a "fascist" because a court ruled that this would constitute a value judgment that rests on "verifiable facts."

• 'suspected case of right-wing extremism'

This label is used by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and the AfD has been classified in Germany as a suspected case of right-wing extremism.

Pfahl-Traughber explains this classification to DW: "This means that there are actual grounds for suspecting an intention to undermine the free democratic basic order and that these grounds require further investigation."

For a party to be classified as a suspected case, it is not sufficient for it to merely hold anti-constitutional views.

The decisive factor is whether a party is planning to take actions that go against the fundamental values of society. According to findings by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the AfD's efforts to assign a legally inferior status to Germans with a migration background constitute such actions because it violates the German constitution. This ruling was upheld in 2024 by the Higher Administrative Court of Münster.

• 'confirmed right-wing extremist'

According to political scientist Pfahl-Traughber, this classification by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is "the result of an assessment concluding that the political actor is indeed considered extremist."

In Germany, the classification has consequences, meaning "a party may henceforth be monitored using intelligence agency methods." This means it may be monitored via telephone or observed by informants.

Furthermore, members of a party classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" may be denied employment as teachers, police officers or soldiers because their loyalty to the constitution cannot be guaranteed. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution's classification of the AfD as "confirmed right-wing extremist" is currently being reviewed by the Cologne Administrative Court.

This text was translated from German.