More than 1,000 German legal professionals have signed an open letter demanding that the government seek a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, urging Berlin to file a petition with the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.
The letter, organized by the Republican Lawyers' Association and addressed to the federal government and members of parliament, argues that AfD policies violate constitutional principles of human dignity and democracy. First published in mid-July with roughly 500 signatories — including judges, prosecutors, and trainee lawyers — support has since grown to 1,051. The association cites a legal opinion by the Society for Civil Rights that deemed the AfD's platform unconstitutional and assessed a ban petition as having reasonable prospects of success.
Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the BSW party, has criticized the lawyers' demands.