In a bold rebuke to the political establishment, German conservative outlet Junge Freiheit has gathered over 57,000 signatures in just days after launching a petition on Monday, May 5th, aimed at halting any effort to outlaw the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
The move comes hot on the heels of a bombshell designation last week by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, which officially labeled the AfD a “right-wing extremist” organization. That label could be the first domino to fall in a broader campaign by ruling parties to initiate formal proceedings that could ultimately ban the AfD altogether.
But the editors at Junge Freiheit aren’t buying it. Editor-in-chief Dieter Stein didn’t mince words when sounding the alarm.
“What we’re seeing is an unprecedented assault on democratic norms in postwar Germany,” Stein said. “Trying to silence the AfD—the largest opposition party—is not just political overreach. It’s a direct insult to the ten million citizens who put their faith in the ballot box.”
Support for the AfD has only grown amid mounting pressure and political smears. With Chancellor Friedrich Merz backpedaling on key conservative pledges, many voters feel abandoned by the mainstream, and they’re shifting right. In fact, recent polls show the AfD sitting at the top of the charts, drawing in about 25% of the national vote.
Critics of the potential ban argue that such a drastic move would set a dangerous precedent—criminalizing dissent rather than confronting it through debate. Whether the petition will gain enough traction to halt the anti-AfD momentum remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Germany’s political landscape is bracing for a showdown, and it’s not going to be pretty.
