German court upholds extremist classification for far-right party

A German high court on Monday ruled that domestic security services could continue to treat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a potentially extremist party, meaning they retain the right to subject it to surveillance, including wiretapping.

The ruling by the higher administrative court in Muenster upholds an earlier finding by a Cologne lower court. No further appeal on the facts of the case is possible.