Germany Claps Back at Marco Rubio After He Called Its 'Extremist' Designation of Far-Right Party 'Tyranny'

The German Foreign Office has responded to Marco Rubio's claims that its designation of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party as "extremist" equates to "tyranny."

"Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That's not democracy – it's tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD – which took second in the recent election – but rather the establishment's deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes," Rubio wrote on X on Friday.

"This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped," the German Foreign replied hours later.

The X war was ignited the day Germany's domestic intelligence agency declared the AfD as "right-wing extremist." The classification gives the government increased powers of surveillance over the organization.

The agency released the ruling following a three-year investigation into the party, culminating in a 1,000-page report, which details constitutional violations. According to the agency, the AfD "aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society, to subject them to unconstitutional unequal treatment and thus to assign them a legally devalued status."

The AfD finished second in Germany's February election, garnering 21% of the popular vote. The party's popularity signals the rise of right-wing extremism in Europe.