Petition in Bavaria: 24,000 Call for Proceedings to Ban the AfD

On Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., the petition “Bavaria for the Ban on the AfD” will be presented at the Bavarian State Parliament. 24,442 people are calling on the Free State of Bavaria to request, in the Bundesrat, that proceedings be initiated to ban the AfD. The parliamentary group leaders of the CSU, FW, Greens, and SPD have announced their attendance at the petition presentation. The handover will be accompanied by a rally calling for a ban on the AfD at 10 a.m. at the Maxmonument in Munich.

The petition calls on the Bavarian State Parliament to resolve that the Free State of Bavaria advocate in the Bundesrat for the initiation of proceedings to ban the AfD. Along with the Bundestag and the federal government, the Bundesrat is one of the state organs authorized under Article 21, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law to initiate proceedings to ban a political party before the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. The petition was launched by the campaign “Defend Human Dignity—Ban the AfD Now!”

The petitioners justify their demand by citing the AfD’s unconstitutional efforts, which they describe as a “serious threat to the existence of the free democratic basic order.”

In doing so, they cite, among other things, an expert opinion from the Institute for Human Rights as well as a statement by 17 renowned constitutional law scholars who had already attested to the high likelihood of success for a ban on the AfD as early as 2024. This assessment was confirmed by the comprehensive scholarly report from the Society for Civil Liberties (GFF), which was published in June 2026, after the petition period had already expired. The constitutional law experts of the GFF consider the AfD to be unconstitutional and justify this position by citing the party’s systematic violations of the principle of democracy and the guarantee of human dignity.

The petition was referred to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Integration for deliberation and a decision.

Volker Braun of “Defend Human Dignity – Ban the AfD Now!” makes it clear: “Bavaria must take the lead in banning the AfD! With its close ties to Björn Höcke, far-right fraternity members in its own ranks, and personnel overlaps with the far-right extremist fringe, the Bavarian state chapter of the AfD is particularly radical. A party whose stated goal is the destruction of democratic discourse cannot be judged solely on the basis of its platform.” At our information booths, at street festivals, in cafés, and at our regular get-togethers, there’s broad consensus: “This unconstitutional party can and must be banned!”

Ahead of the petition handover, the campaign is calling for a rally at 10 a.m. at the Maxmonument (Maximilianstraße at the intersection with Thierschstraße). Speakers will include the Dachau Camp Community, anti-racism and anti-discrimination advisor Hamado Dipama, and the Grandmothers Against the Right.

Klaus Schultz of the Dachau Camp Community warns: “The concentration camps teach us to keep alive the memory of the crimes committed by the Nazis and to take responsibility for the future. At the core of this is the fight against anti-Semitism, racism, and right-wing extremism, as well as the tools of a robust democracy—first and foremost, the procedure for banning political parties enshrined in the Basic Law!”

Information on the Submission of the Petition “Bavaria for a Ban on the AfD”

You can find the online version of the petition at: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/bayern-fuer-das-afd-verbot

The following politicians have confirmed their participation in the petition presentation:

• Klaus Holetschek, CSU, parliamentary group leader

• Florian Streibl, FW, parliamentary group leader

• Katharina Schulze, Greens, parliamentary group leader

• Holger Grießhammer, SPD, parliamentary group leader

• Alexander Hold, FW, Second Vice President of the State Parliament and member of the Constitutional Committee