The Thuringian AfD regional chairman, Björn Höcke, along with other delegates, intends to push for the revision of the AfD’s Non-Compatibility List (UVL) at the party convention in Erfurt.
This plan, reported on by RTL and ntv, stems from a motion presented in the party’s request book. The UVL currently specifies which extremist organizations party members are prohibited from joining. The delegation seeks to instruct the party’s federal executive board to overhaul this list within one year.
Höcke and the other motion proponents aim to establish their own definition of extremism for the party. Under this proposed framework, an organization would only be considered extremist if it meets three criteria: a) its program explicitly aims to abolish parliamentary democracy and establish a dictatorship; b) it commits to systematic, active campaigning to achieve the goals listed in a); and c) notably, it endorses or uses violence (militancy) as a means to an end.
This proposed definition is significantly narrower when compared to official extremist definitions, such as those used by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution or the Federal Centre for Civic Education. Firstly, it explicitly names the goal of establishing a dictatorship-a requirement that apparently goes beyond simply aiming to dismantle free democracy. Secondly, official definitions do not inherently link the means of violence directly to extremism.
Political scientist Wolfgang Schröder of the Berlin Social Research Center noted that this is not an extremism definition that aligns with constitutional or scientific standards. He stated, “It is a definition narrowed down to violence and coup attempts, one that barely applies to any organization in its current form.” Analysts suggest that with this approach, the AfD would be adopting a way out, effectively closing the book on its past practices regarding the Non-Compatibility List.
