AfD party conference in Henstedt-Ulzburg: protests and criticism of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution!

AfD party conference in Henstedt-Ulzburg: protests and criticism of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution!

On July 5, 2025, the AfD regional association in Schleswig-Holstein met for a controversial party conference in the community center in Henstedt-Ulzburg. Around 190 party members were present, while an estimated 800 demonstrators protested outside. These counter-actions underline the social explosiveness that the party creates with its policies. The taz reports that Ralf Stegner, member of the Bundestag for the SPD, has criticized voters who are leaning towards the AfD due to social concerns. In the background of the discussion is the fact that the AfD did not receive enough votes in the 2022 state elections to win a seat in the state parliament.

Despite this setback, the AfD remained optimistic. State chairman Kurt Kleinschmidt announced talks with the CDU if the AfD enters the state parliament with a double-digit result. In a clear rejection of coalition talks, Kleinschmidt excluded Prime Minister Daniel Günther, who works with the Greens.

Protection of the Constitution and right-wing extremism

Another point of discussion was the classification of the AfD by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as “certainly right-wing extremist”. AfD members are angry about the decision and have launched a legal dispute against this classification. Loud ndr.de The report cites numerous statements by AfD politicians that consciously violate the Basic Law and human dignity. Gereon Bollmann, member of the Bundestag from Schleswig-Holstein, is a prominent example; He speaks of an international program that wants to “de-Germanize” Germany and rejected the accusation of right-wing extremism.

In the current state constitutional protection report, the AfD is mentioned 27 times, but without a separate section. Even if the report criticizes the party in terms of personnel and positions, it remains unclear how the Schleswig-Holstein Office for the Protection of the Constitution will monitor the state party in the future.

Demonstrations and right-wing extremist networks

A meeting between Kevin Dorow, member of the AfD state executive board, with right-wing extremist actors in Neumünster is also the subject of the report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and is cited as evidence of the AfD's right-wing extremist orientation. The statements made by Dorow and other AfD members, who represent xenophobic, anti-minority and anti-Semitic positions, show the concerns of the critics.

The number of right-wing extremist crimes has increased verfassungsschutz.de will experience an alarming increase in 2024. A total of 37,835 crimes were recorded, an increase of 47.4% compared to 2023. These statistics cast a double shadow over the political debate and the growing presence of right-wing extremist networks.

At the party conference, a resolution was passed with 182 yes votes that calls for “deep reform” and the “depoliticization” of the state’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The members of the AfD therefore seem unwilling to accept criticism of their political orientation and are instead fighting for their place in Schleswig-Holstein's political spectrum.

In view of the ongoing protests and the deep social division, it remains to be seen how the political landscape in Schleswig-Holstein will develop and whether the AfD will actually achieve the desired faction formation in the upcoming state elections.