A firewall is a wall designed to prevent a fire from spreading from one building to another. In German politics, the term “firewall” serves as a metaphor for a strict boundary drawn against parties regarded as extremist. Just as a firewall is intended to protect buildings from fire, the “political firewall” is intended to safeguard democracy.
Whether the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is in fact a party that is hostile to democracy has not yet been determined by the courts. While Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has classified individual AfD state associations as “confirmed right-wing
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