The "Brandmauer" or the "firewall against the far-right" in Germany is a strategy of noncooperation, demarcationhttps://www.dw.com/de/was-ist-die-politische-brandmauer/a-78365733, and deplatforming by mainstream political parties and others within German society to suppress the growing influence of far-right politics in Germany, from parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Die Heimat (formerly the National Democratic Party). The policy enjoys widespread support in Germanyhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9dl4drr8lo, but is also seen as potentially undemocratic.
In 2024, the AfD saw substantial gains in Germany's eastern states such as in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, which intensified public discourse on whether the firewall should be maintained and, if so, how best to reinforce it. This debate spurred widespread protests against rightwing extremism in 2024, which drew hundreds of thousands. These protestors have made historical comparisons to Nazi Germany, particularly to the Nazi seizure of power, emphasizing their demand for a firewall against the far-right with their slogans "We are the firewall" () and "Never again is now” (). The Federal Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius (SPD), shared these concerns, cautioning against a repeat of history by highlighting the dangers of weak public support for democracy during the late Weimar Republic.
As for current strategies to sideline the far-right, some members of the center-right CDU have proposed "appropriating the concerns of the AfD" to most effectively diminish its influence. However, some research by political scientists indicates that adopting typical far-right themes does not diminish support for far-right parties. On the contrary, scholars have found that these parties can benefit when mainstream political organisations make far-right views appear socially acceptable, thereby legitimising controversial statements.Krause W, Cohen D, Abou-Chadi T. Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties. Political Science Research and Methods. 2023;11(1):172-179. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2022.8
The debate on and policy of noncooperation with far-right German parties is also influenced by discussions on how best to manage far-right parties at the European level following an increase in their support in the 2024 European Parliament elections, particularly in light of the rise of far-right parties gaining government influence in other countries.
Use of the term "firewall" The term "Brandmauer" (meaning firewall) is used by the media and politicians as a metaphorical barrier between the establishment parties, and those they perceive to be anti-democratic.
The German political network "Hand in Hand" promotes the hashtag #WeAreTheFirewall () as part of its campaign to actively oppose the "strengthening of the extreme right in Germany and Europe" and the "normalisation of right-wing policies and discourse".
In English language media, there is also widespread reporting on the issue of the German firewall.
Academic research Research examining the firewall suggests that statements made by mainstream politicians may inadvertently contribute more to eroding norms of tolerance compared to those made by far-right politicians. This phenomenon is thought to occur because mainstream politicians may face less opposition from left-wing individuals, highlighting their influential role in shaping social norms.
Strategies One proposed measure involves strengthening the independence of the German Constitutional Court by requiring changes to its legal basis to be approved by a two-thirds super-majority rather than a simple majority.
In Local Government
Regarding the way of dealing with the far-right in local government, Giesbers et al. 2021 suggested multiple measures, reaching from measures to take before the first meeting, internal agreements and networking, inter-group coordination, the constituent meeting, public statements, regarding how to elect people to offices, committees and positions, the everyday committee work, and also tips for dealing with far-rights personally and dealing with motions wisely.Giesbers, Tilo; Taschke, Anika; Hauke, Cash; Piechura, Philipp; Seidel, Ingolf. (June 2021). Rät*innen gegen Rechts Umgang mit Rechten in kommunalen Gremien. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung As a concrete measure for maintaining a firewall towards the far-right on a local level, they proposed the following concrete actions to take: "In local council work, the following should be observed: No joint proposals should be submitted with rightwing factions. No motions from rightwing factions should be accepted. Own proposals should be formulated in a way that prevents support from rightwing parties. Approaches and applause from rightwing factions should be rejected through situational distancing. No joint statements involving rightwing factions should be issued. No personnel nominations from or supported by rightwing factions should be accepted. No joint factions should be formed. No joint press conferences should be held. Leftist premises should not be rented out. No joint events should be organised."
An attempt to formalise these concepts was made in February 2025, when the SPD-led council in Dortmund attempted to pass a motion that all of its decisions must only be approved by a majority of non-AfD councillors, which incurred opposition by the CDU, FDP, and AfD. The local administration of Arnsberg declared the motion illegal, stating that it would make AfD representatives second class councillors. The lord mayor of Dortmund, Thomas Westphal (SPD), rejected this objection but lost the 2025 local election and was replaced by Alexander Kalouti of the CDU, who abandoned the original motion."Dortmunder Stadtrat zieht „Brandmauer“-Beschluss gegen AfD „mit Bedauern“ zurück" Welt.de 28 November 2025, retrieved 28 November 2025
Support for the firewall The success of the AfD in elections in the 2020s, particularly in states such as Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has increased concerns about the extremism, as well as the prevalence of xenophobic and anti-democratic rhetoric. The re-election of Roland Schliewe, known for controversial remarks about North Africans and support for candidates associated with symbols linked to the ideologies of the Nazis and Ku Klux Klan, in 2024, and the success of the AfD in state elections in 2026 have caused further concern.
The political scientist Dr. Simon Franzmann has noted that Germany must coexist with right-wing populist parties containing far-right elements for the foreseeable future. Another political scientist, Dr. Benjamin Höhne, says that such an environment serves to underscore the value of a robust firewall in the hopes of safeguarding democratic norms and preventing extremist ideologies from becoming mainstream.
Criticism of the firewall Some critics argue that the political firewall could be undemocratic. For instance, in February 2024, a protest sign reading "democracy without firewall" was noticeably displayed during a demonstration in Lübben, where accusations of Nazi affiliations were refuted. Previously, the town of Lübben had made headlines due to far-right extremist activities.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has openly criticised the policy, claiming that, in a democracy, "there is no room for firewalls".
Johann Wadephul, deputy chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, has claimed the firewall helped AfD claim victimhood and skirt responsibility. Former Health Minister Jens Spahn has echoed those claims, stating that AfD should be treated "in parliamentary procedures and processes like any other opposition party".
To avoid coalitions with the AfD, there has been an increase in Grand Coalitions, which some suggest has increased support for the AfD position that other parties are a cartel, as well as producing less effective governments.
Despite the firewall, some aspects of AfD policy, such as more restrictive immigration policy have been taken on by mainstream parties, meaning that the firewall may be less effective than intended.
Forms of cooperation with the Far-Right Scholars from the left-wing Rosa Luxemburg Foundation published a study in March 2024 titled "Will the firewall hold? - Study on cooperation with the extreme right in East German municipalities". They identified 121 instances of cooperation between, what they called, "democratic parties" and "far-right parties" at the municipal level in former Eastern German states from summer 2019 to the end of 2023.Hummel, S. & Taschke, A. (2024, March). Hält die Brandmauer? Studie zu Kooperationen mit der extremen Rechten in ostdeutschen Kommunen. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. Accessed July 5, 2024 Their key finding was that among all major political parties, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) had the highest number of collaborations with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) so far, primarily through supporting AfD motions. The study categorized these collaborations into various forms, including joint voting behaviors, joint elections of officials, and agreements.
Cases where "democratic parties" supported AfD motions have been covered by the media, notably in Saxony's district council of Bautzen. MDR Investigativ surveyed all central German districts and independent cities to determine if AfD motions received majority support in their local parliaments across Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The investigation found that substantive AfD motions were approved in at least 18 out of 50 parliaments, often with support from other parties, notably the CDU.
On 14 September 2024, scholars from Berlin Social Sciences Center showed that between 2019 and 2024, 80% of motions brought in by AfD in local German parliaments in former East-Germany did not receive any support from the other parties.Wolfgang Schroeder, Daniel Ziblatt, Florian Bochert (14. September 2024) - Brandmauer – is still alive! Empirische Ergebnisse zur Unterstützung der AfD in den ostdeutschen Kommunen durch etablierte Parteien (2019-2024) - Discussion Paper SP V 2024-503 Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (2024) Still, 20% of the total of 2,348 AfD proposals submitted in that time frame were supported by at least one member of another party, 10% by at least five members of other parties. The authors also analyzed the topics the supported motions were about and state that cooperation was more prevalent in topics such as transport, sport, culture and the budget - less in topics such as asylum and safety.
On the federal level In late January 2025, Christian-Democratic leader Friedrich Merz introduced a resolution calling for more stringent measures on immigration and border crossings, saying he would rely on AfD votes to push it through if necessary. On 29 January, the resolution passed by a vote of 348 to 345 (a majority of 3), with the Christian Democrats, the FDP and the AfD voting in favor, the BSW abstaining and all other parties voting against. This was the first time the AfD had played a decisive role in the passage of a parliamentary proposal. BBC News reported that this meant the firewall had cracked.
Stances of political parties All major democratic German political parties have committed to taking a firm stance against the far-right, particularly right-wing extremists and other undemocratic political actors. However, these commitments vary in terms of their boldness and consistency.
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) officially maintains a stance of incompatibility regarding coalitions and similar forms of cooperation with both The Left and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) since 2018. In May 2024, Daniel Günther (CDU), Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, publicly argued against equating The Left (Die Linke) with the Alternative for Germany (AfD).