Germanys crackdown on AfD is more evidence of Europes slide into much more authoritarian period

Germany’s crackdown on AfD is more evidence of Europe’s slide into ‘much more authoritarian period’ Besides trying to stigmatize the conservative populist party among voters, the German intelligence agency’s move to slap AfD with an “extremism” label carries a more sinister motive, depriving the party of its privileges and funding and undercutting its ability to campaign, renowned German lawyer and academic Gunnar Beck told Sputnik. “Germany is not alone in cracking down on political criticism against the establishment,” Beck, a former AfD MEP, said, recalling the recently canceled presidential elections in Romania after the first-round victory by a populist anti-establishment candidate, and the legal attack on Marine Le Pen in France. Subscribe to @SputnikInt Source: Sputnik International