AfD wants to fly the black, red and gold flag all year round – debate breaks out!

AfD wants to fly the black, red and gold flag all year round – debate breaks out!

On June 19, 2025, a proposal from the AfD parliamentary group in the Mayen-Koblenz district council caused lively discussions. The party demands that the black, red and gold state flag should fly at all official buildings and schools from January 1st to December 31st. The proposal was hotly debated in the district committee. District Administrator Marko Boos from the SPD expressed skepticism, but it remains unclear whether this application really has serious intentions or is more of a showcase application to draw attention to oneself. This uncertainty hangs over the discussions like a sword of Damocles and could influence the outcome of the application.

But that's not all that's driving the debate. On June 5, 2025, a similar demand from the AfD was discussed in the Bundestag. She advocated “consistently preserving the black, red and gold as an identity-creating symbol for our democracy” and called for traditional flagging on state official buildings. After a twenty-minute discussion, the motion was referred to the committees, with the Interior Committee as the lead body. This initiative is aimed not only at the state flag, but also at the federal flag.

Demands of the AfD

The AfD emphasizes that the federal flag is a central symbol of sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany and stands for the constitutional order and the unity of the national people. They are critical of the current practice of hoisting various flags such as the EU flag and the rainbow flag, as in their opinion this puts the prominent position of the German flag into perspective. As a solution, the AfD suggests only hoisting the EU flag in front of the entrances to official buildings and viewing the hoisting of the rainbow flag as problematic because it is an ideological symbol that violates the state's neutrality requirement.

These issues were discussed in connection with a change to the local flag decree, which has been in force since March 22, 2005 and allows the flying of the EU flag. The AfD has put its finger on the wound with its criticism and is planning to publicly promote its demands.

Political reactions

The political reaction to these proposals has been consistently mixed. While some see the return to traditional flags as necessary, the opposition sees this as another attempt by the AfD to use polarizing issues for their own benefit. The debate about identity and flags reflects current social discourses that go far beyond political boundaries.

In the coming period it remains to be seen what steps the municipalities and district administrators will take with regard to these applications. The decision on how and where to fly flags could become a political bone of contention that not only inflames tempers but could also re-ignite dialogue about national identity and values.

Golden times for national symbols or a wrong idea? The argument continues.