Brandenburg Tightens Rules on AfD: Banned Symbols in Schools and No Funding for the Party-Affiliated Foundation

The Ministry of Education subsequently made clear that symbols and propaganda of organizations classified as anti-constitutional may not be displayed or distributed in schools, on school grounds, or at school events held off school grounds. The ministry published a statement in which, according to its own account, it summarizes the applicable legal situation and addresses it to school principals and school supervisory authorities. "It is forbidden to carry, display, pass on, or distribute insignia and propaganda materials of anti-constitutional organizations in school, on school grounds, and at school events held outside of school," the statement reads.

The School Ban in Detail

At the same time, funding policy was adjusted: sponsoring associations of the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation, which is considered a party-affiliated institution, will no longer receive financial support from state programs. In recent years, the foundation has repeatedly come under criticism, including because those responsible are said to have maintained connections to völkisch settlers and to so-called lateral thinkers. According to the state government, however, funding will not be discontinued retroactively, so that funds already approved will be paid out.

Sharp criticism of the course of action came from the ranks of the AfD. State parliament member Dennis Hohloch spoke of "unequal treatment" and accused the state government of violating the principles of equal treatment with its decision. The state government rejected the accusations and pointed out that the new line is based exclusively on the classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and on applicable law.

Reactions from the AfD

Observers assess the step as part of a broader strategy by the Brandenburg state government to draw clear boundaries vis-à-vis actors classified as anti-constitutional. Comparable regulations are also being discussed in other federal states, particularly where the respective state offices for the protection of the constitution have arrived at similar assessments. With the package now presented—consisting of a school ban and a funding freeze—Brandenburg is going beyond mere declarations of intent.

It remains unclear so far how the rules are to be monitored in everyday school life. The Ministry of Education generally referred to the school supervisory authorities and to the personal responsibility of school principals, without naming specific monitoring mechanisms. In the coming weeks, teachers and school authorities are likely to await clear guidance from the state authorities on how violations are to be documented and sanctioned.

Open Questions and Outlook

The AfD announced that it would take action against the measures both politically and legally. It remains open whether the party will seek the route through the administrative court or pursue a parliamentary confrontation via the state parliament. Until then, the tightened line applies immediately in Brandenburg schools, and state funding for the foundation's sponsoring associations is suspended.

Overall, the decision fits into a series of similar steps at the federal and state level with which administrations are responding to the reclassification of the AfD by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. In Brandenburg, both in the education sector and in funding policy, the approach is one of clear distancing from structures classified as right-wing extremist.