Rubio, Vance Defend Germany’s AfD, Stir Backlash from German Officials

A rare and pointed exchange took place on X (formerly Twitter) Friday, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the German government for labeling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as extremist. Rubio called the move “tyranny in disguise,” prompting a strong public rebuttal from Germany’s Foreign Office.

Rubio Calls Out German Intelligence Decision

Rubio, who recently stepped in as interim national security adviser, condemned Germany’s domestic intelligence agency for allowing increased surveillance of AfD. “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition,” he wrote. “That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”

He went further, defending the controversial party’s popularity and criticizing German immigration policies. “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 ended his post by urging Berlin to “reverse course.”

Germany Pushes Back: ‘This Is Democracy’

More than three hours later, the German Foreign Office directly responded on X, defending the decision.

“This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law,” the post stated. “It is independent courts that will have the final say.”

In a nod to Germany’s 20th-century history, the Foreign Office added, “We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.”

Vice President Vance Joins the Criticism

U.S. Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the dispute, echoing Rubio’s criticism and defending AfD. Quoting Rubio, Vance wrote, “The AfD is the most popular party in Germany, and by far the most representative of East Germany. Now the bureaucrats try to destroy it.”

In a follow-up post, he added, “The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt—not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment.”

Vance had previously met AfD leaders in Munich earlier this year and criticized European restrictions on free speech in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

Germany’s Intelligence Agency Cites Threat to Democracy

According to the Associated Press, the designation by Germany’s intelligence agency allows for expanded surveillance of the AfD due to its ‘threat’ to the country’s ‘democratic order’.

“It aims to exclude certain population groups from equal participation in society, subject them to unconstitutional discrimination, and thus assign them a legally devalued status,” the agency said.

The agency added that the party does not view German citizens with roots in mostly Muslim countries as equal members of society.

AfD leaders denounced the classification.