It is a moment worthy of note when the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, takes a vivid interest in the interior affairs of Germany. Especially when he doesn't mince words, but calls the supposed “ally” a “tyranny in disguise”. It’s even more remarkable when the accused defends itself through a reply by its Foreign Office, defying Rubio by claiming to indeed honor democracy and to be heeding the lesson taught by history, of the need to stop right-wing extremism. What strange event might have sparked this heated exchange?
In May 2025, German politics are in a whirl. Negotiations between the soon-to-be governing coalition of Christian-Democrats and Social Democrats had reached a conclusion, the various posts in the future government were filled, and the parliamentary election of the Chancellor was set for the 6th of May. And then a metaphorical bomb dropped: just a few days before leaving office, Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) declared that the strongest opposition party, the right-of-center AfD (“Alternative für Deutschland”) was to be declared as “gesichert rechtsextrem” (“confirmed right-wing extremist”) organization, based on a 1,100 page study undertaken by the German homeland intelligence service Verfassungsschutz. This study however has yet to be disclosed to the public, which includes the AfD. As of now, the paper was only “leaked” to selected journalists [Update: The centrist magazine Cicero has now published the study in full].
The timing is indeed peculiar: Despite being painted as the main villain of the German political theater, the AfD is soaring in popularity—after coming in second in the federal election of February 2025, they are now the leading party in the polls. In their agitation, the party's numerous detractors are calling for a complete ban of the AfD. To now “legally” label the party as “extreme right” could be a huge step towards realizing this goal.
In their agitation, the party's numerous detractors are calling for a complete ban of the AfD. To now “legally” label the party as “extreme right” could be a huge step towards realizing this goal.
While the German media apparatus hailed the declaration as a huge success in the “Fight against the Right”, foreign commentators expressed their shock and concern, reminding the German state of J. D. Vance’s Munich speech, in which he warned German officials (and the European Union in general) not to infringe on the freedom and civil rights of their people. In the center of all this is one woman: Nancy Faeser, who served as Minister of the Interior from 2021 to 2025. She will serve as an example to illustrate just what kind of politician is now ruling over Germany: a strange kind of authoritarian, with a severe case of paranoia.
Who is Nancy Faeser?
For the most part, Nancy Faeser (born in 1970) has led an unremarkable life in the political sphere. Her father served as the mayor of her hometown in the state of Hessen, and, like him, Faeser joined the Social Democrats. She is a lawyer by profession and made a career in the Hessian SPD, entering the Landtag in 2003. Interesting to note: during that time, she received two threatening letters, both signed “NSU 2.0”, referring to the right-wing terrorist organization National-Sozialistischer Untergrund (National Socialist Underground). Faeser was little known outside her home state, so when she was called up to the post of Minister of the Interior in the Olaf Scholz cabinet in December 2021, most commentators responded with a perplexed “Who?”. Her appointment was however historic in as much as she was the first woman to hold that position. Four years later, she is one of the most well-known people in German politics. That does not mean she is known for positive reasons.
The horrors that ordinary German citizens had to endure over the last four years, (the sexual assaults and rapes, stabbings, and mass killings) happened on her watch. Despite some lukewarm speeches, the minister did nothing to stop the threat to German lives. In a cabinet full of questionable personnel, Faeser became one of the most notorious. Her list of failures and scandals range from the outright ridiculous (like attending a game at the Soccer World Cup 2022 in Qatar wearing a rainbow armband) to clear abuses of power.
The horrors that ordinary German citizens had to endure over the last four years, (the sexual assaults and rapes, stabbings, and mass killings) happened on her watch.
Along the way, Faeser became a liability to her own party: in 2023, Faeser was the SPD candidate in the Hessen state elections (which caused concern in itself, since she still held her federal position) and led the Social Democrats to an abysmal result of 15,1%, coming in third after the CDU—and her personal nemesis, the AfD. To illustrate the type Faeser represents, I will concentrate on two of her affairs, both of a caliber that in normal times would have ended political careers.
