Markus Schäfert, head of the Extremism and Right-Terrorism Department, stated that certain members of the AfD are working towards a close network with the Identitarian Movement (IB). He noted a ‘division of labor’ emerging between the party and its extremist affiliates, with the IB aiming to shift political discourse further to the right, thereby facilitating the AfD’s agenda. Despite the AfD’s charter prohibiting collaboration with the IB, some party members openly express ideological alignment with the movement.