Lüneburg court: Lower Saxony AfD remains under heightened surveillance

The Higher Administrative Court of Lower Saxony in Lüneburg on Thursday rejected the AfD state branch's appeal against its upgrade by the domestic intelligence service (case 11 ME 205/26). The party in Lower Saxony therefore remains classified, for now, as an "observation object of significant concern." The court upheld a June 1, 2026, ruling by the Hanover Administrative Court, which had already rejected the AfD's urgent application. The intelligence service had listed the state branch as a suspected case since May 2022 and upgraded it in February 2026.

The court said the senate shares the lower court's view that there are facts demonstrating efforts directed against the free democratic basic order. It cited, among other things, an ethnic, descent-based concept of the nation, the denigration of Germans with a migrant background and of Muslims, blanket defamation of state institutions and contacts with actors classified as right-wing extremist. The decision cannot be appealed; the main proceedings remain pending before the Hanover Administrative Court (case 10 A 1104/26). Until then, more intrusive intelligence measures remain permissible in principle.

Lower Saxony Interior Minister Daniela Behrens welcomed the ruling: "The AfD's state branch in Lower Saxony is confirmed right-wing extremist." Sebastian Lechner of the CDU group in the state parliament said: "Today's decision shows that our rule of law works." Deputy AfD state chairman Stephan Bothe accused the intelligence service of political instrumentalization; the party is pinning its hopes on the main proceedings. Separately, the association ABSTIMMUNG21 plans to present in Berlin at 5 p.m. on Friday the results of a non-representative, non-binding citizens' vote that includes a call to examine an AfD ban.