KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) – Germany can cut off state funding to the successor party to the far-right NPD even though it is not banned, the Constitutional Court said on Tuesday in a landmark ruling which adds fuel to a debate about whether the nationalist AfD could be penalised.
The court in Karlsruhe justified its decision by saying the National Democratic Party (NPD) and its successor, Die Heimat, aimed to impair or eliminate the country’s democratic system.
The Bundestag lower house, the Bundesrat upper house and the government had applied to the court to end funding after Germany’s Basic Law was changed to prevent radical parties from getting state funds which other parities are entitled to.
The ruling is being closely watched as mainstream politicians struggle to respond to a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), second in most polls with support of about 22%.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Germany protesting against the AfD after a report that some party members discussed policies such as mass deportations of people of foreign origin at a meeting of right-wing radicals.
(Reporting by Ursula Knapp; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Kirsti Knolle)
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