Tensions between Berlin and Washington have flared after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the German government of engaging in “tyranny in disguise” by labeling the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as extremist. In a pointed response, Germany’s Foreign Ministry defended the decision as a necessary action to protect democracy and uphold the rule of law, dismissing Rubio’s remarks as “unfounded.”

Rubio’s criticisms, made on May 2, came in reaction to the German domestic intelligence agency (BfV) officially classifying the AfD as a “confirmed extremist entity.” According to the US Secretary of State, it is not the AfD that poses a danger to democratic values, but rather what he described as “the establishment’s deadly open-border immigration policies,” which the AfD strongly opposes.

Responding to Rubio’s allegations on May 5, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer made it clear that Berlin would not tolerate foreign interference in its domestic affairs. Speaking to reporters, Fischer emphasized, “This is democracy,” underlining that Germany’s measures were rooted in the principles of safeguarding democratic norms and constitutional order. He further stressed that “the insinuations contained in Rubio’s comments are certainly unfounded,” as quoted by AFP.

The designation by the BfV enables German authorities to conduct unrestricted surveillance on the AfD, including wiretapping and monitoring internal communications. The BfV justified the decision by warning that the AfD’s rhetoric and policies pose a direct threat to Germany’s democratic constitutional order, especially due to its........

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