Germany rebuked Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he slammed the country’s intelligence agency for classifying the far-right political party Alternative for Germany a “proven-right wing extremist organization.

The reclassification — AfD was previously designated a “suspected” extremist group — is likely to reignite debate over a political ban on the party.

Germany's foreign office says history shows that right-wing extremism "needs to be stopped", after criticism from the White House.