Data leak at the AfD: Hubig wants to use emails for ban proceedings during audits

dpa | Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig believes that hundreds of thousands of AfD emails published on the Internet could help pave the way to banning the party. The SPD politician spoke in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung in favor of a federal-state working group that would examine the chances of success of a ban procedure. In principle, she can use all the information that is available. “The emails could also be used if they provide evidence of the AfD’s unconstitutionality,” said Hubig.

According to their own statements, unknown persons recently published data on the Internet, which is said to be around 421,000 AfD emails. The AfD is being monitored nationwide by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected case. Individual state associations are classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the respective state Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

“I am convinced that we must now seriously and systematically examine whether the requirements for a ban procedure are met,” said Hubig. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) also recently spoke out in favor of a federal-state working group to examine a possible AfD ban procedure.

According to previous information, such a working group would pool knowledge from the federal and state governments and cooperate with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and constitutional lawyers. Only then would it be decided whether the Bundesrat, Bundestag or federal government would actually apply for an AfD ban. Hubig said: “It is clear to me: If an application has concrete prospects of success, then it must be submitted.”