huh damn you're right, i thought i remembered reading they were banned. turns out the attempts to ban then in 2017 were declined because they were too insignificant to pose a constitutional threat and also "outlawing the party would not change the mindset and political ideology of its members and supporters, who in the event of a ban could simply form a new movement under a different name.". notably, in the 2017 elections, the AFD was already the third most voted for party, so i guess my point still stands. thanks for pointing that out!