The police commissioner of the German Bundestag, Uli Grötsch, has demanded that all members of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) be removed from the police service.
Despite holding an office meant to monitor misconduct and structural problems in the federal police, Grötsch, a Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician, used the platform to argue that AfD membership is incompatible with public service.
“AfD membership and work as a police officer are not compatible,” Grötsch told the Rheinische Post, referencing the controversial classification of the party as “definitely right-wing extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
“Membership with visible commitment to the AfD must result in removal from service. For me, commitment means openly campaigning for the party, running for the municipal or city council, or even for the Bundestag,” he added.
Grötsch’s comments clash directly with more moderate voices in the federal government, including those from within the ruling coalition. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union (CSU) dismissed the idea of blanket purges of public servants.
“The loyalty to the constitution that is required of civil servants can only be considered on a case-by-case basis,” he said, as cited by Junge Freiheit.
This is not the first time Grötsch has aggressively targeted AfD members in the police. In March 2024, he warned that any form of AfD support from within the police ranks was “highly problematic,” describing the party as increasingly radicalized. “It is devastating when police and judiciary are infiltrated by enemies of the free democratic basic order,” he said, according to Die Welt.
Grötsch appears to be escalating his efforts. In an earlier interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, he broadened the scope of concern, stating: “I think it is highly problematic if police employees are members of the AfD or support the party in other ways.” The statement leaves open whether mere support — including donations, expressions of sympathy, or voting — might fall under the same scrutiny.
A controversial internal memo from January 2025, initially reported by Junge Freiheit, further revealed that AfD-affiliated officials within the federal police were being targeted for removal, based on a directive signed by former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, also of the SPD. The leaked memo stated that active participation in the AfD was grounds for disciplinary action.
With 54,000 employees in the federal police, including 45,000 officers, the actual number of AfD members within the force is unknown. Critics point out, however, that political membership alone has not been a disqualifying factor in the past — President of the Federal Police Headquarters Dieter Romann is himself a member of the CDU.
One passage shared from the internal police intranet stated: “If membership in such a party becomes known, there are sufficient actual indications that justify the suspicion of a disciplinary offense, at least if the officer is actively involved in such a party.”
The AfD has made law and order central to its platform. Many see its focus on border security, national sovereignty, and internal safety as naturally resonant with the concerns of police officers.
Critics now warn that attempts to exclude those who align with such views could amount to an ideological purge and attempt to stifle political opposition rather than legitimate oversight.
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