­Bastian Stock in the DNN on an AfD Ban

AfD Ban: Is it the Right Way? An Expert from Dresden Warns

Political scientist Bastian Stock from TU Dresden weighs in on the debate surrounding a potential ban of the AfD party in an interview with the DNN.

In light of the party's classification as "proven right-wing extremist" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, calls for a party ban are growing louder. However, Stock strongly warns against the assumption that such a procedure would solve the problems: He anticipates a process that could drag on for over a decade due to legal challenges and its complexity.

Stock's core message: "The people will continue to exist." A ban neither eliminates the voters with their fears of decline and systemic criticism nor the entrenched local actors.

Instead of an either/or approach, Stock advocates for a two-pronged strategy:

• Targeted political work to debunk the AfD's narratives and offer the public real solutions to their problems (e.g., infrastructure, social inequality).

• An executive and political confrontation with the party and its dangerous discourse shift.

Read the full article to find out why Stock does not consider the banning procedure a short-term solution and what counter-strategies he recommends:

 To the Interview: AfD Ban? Expert in Dresden