“Marco Rubio, German Foreign Ministry Clash on X Over AfD’s ‘Extremist’ Label

Foreign Ministry Clash on X: A heated exchange took place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the German foreign ministry on X after the former accused the German government of “tyranny in disguise" for designating the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as an extremist entity.

In a post on Friday, the top US diplomat lashed out at Germany after its domestic intelligence agency BfV declared the far-right, neo-Nazi AfD as an “extremist" entity, allowing it to increase surveillance of the political party. AfD leaders have condemned the move.

“What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes,” he continued.

Also Read: Stampede at Lairai Devi Temple in Goa’s Shirgao Leaves 6 Dead, 30 Injured

Rubio, who has been newly tapped as the interim national security adviser, said the US ally “should reverse course.”

In a direct reply on X more than three hours later, the German Foreign Office pushed back.

This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law,” the account posted. “It is independent courts that will have the final say.”

“We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped,” the foreign office wrote.

Rubio’s post was not the first time a high-level Trump official has spoken out in support of the far-right party, whose leaders have engaged in anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and xenophobic rhetoric, including calling for the mass expulsion of immigrants.

Also Read: Pahalgam Attack Aftermath: LoC Residents Fear War as India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate”

One of its key politicians, Björn Höcke, was convicted in 2024 after breaking German laws against uttering Nazi slogans in public.

JD Vance, who met Weidel in Munich nine days before the election and used a speech to the Munich Security Conference to show support for the AfD, said that "bureaucrats" were trying to destroy the party.

"The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt - not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment," he wrote on X.

The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, separated East and West Berlin for nearly 30 years during the Cold War.

The new designation has reignited calls to ban the AfD ahead of a vote next week in the parliament, or Bundestag, to confirm conservative leader Friedrich Merz as chancellor. He will be leading a coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

Lars Klingbeil, the SPD leader who is expected to become vice-chancellor and finance minister, said that while no hasty decision would be made, the government would consider banning the AfD.

"They want a different country, they want to destroy our democracy. And we must take that very seriously," he told Bild newspaper.

Also Read: Pahalgam Attack LIVE: JD Vance Urges Pakistan’s Cooperation in Terror Probe