Centrist politicians call for using illegally obtained AfD data in ban proceedings

In September, a left-wing hacker collective accessed AfD email boxes and leaked extensive internal communications, which journalists have begun to analyse. The leak reveals several embarrassments for the party, but the controversy centres on the response from the political centre. CDU workers’ wing leader Dennis Radtke posted on X that the hackers have done more for the constitutional office than the office itself, using the hashtag “#AfDVerbotsverfahren”.

The civil-rights NGO Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, represented by Valentina Chiofalo, also suggested the illicit files could make a future ban petition “even more watertight”. Observers criticize both sides for treating an unlawful attack on Germany’s largest opposition party as a legitimate tool, arguing it undermines the rule of law and democratic society. The article warns that such use of stolen data could intimidate party members and set a dangerous precedent for political intimidation.