Alice Weidel: Difference between revisions
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'''Alice Elisabeth Weidel''' (born 6 February 1979) is a German politician who has served as Leader of [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) in the [[Bundestag]] and a Member of the [[Bundestag]] since |
'''Alice Elisabeth Weidel''' (born 6 February 1979) is a German politician who has served as Leader of [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) in the [[Bundestag]] and a Member of the [[Bundestag]] since October 2017. Together with [[Alexander Gauland]] she was the AfD's lead [[German federal election, 2017|2017 German federal election]] candidate.<ref name="indi">{{cite news|last=Grieshaber|first=Kirsten|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-general-election-afd-right-wing-nationalist-immigration-anti-islam-muslim-a7698126.html|title=Germany's AfD party elects Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel as general election candidates|work=[[The Independent]]|date=2017-04-23|accessdate=2017-05-01}}</ref> |
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She is the first [[lesbian]] to serve as a lead candidate of her party, which opposes [[same-sex marriage]] and adoptions.<ref name=Handelsblatt>{{cite web|url=https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/alice-weidel-afd-germany-far-right-populist-819466|title=Cosmopolitan Lesbian Turns Far-Right Agitator|date=20 September 2017|accessdate=22 September 2017}}</ref> |
She is the first [[lesbian]] to serve as a lead candidate of her party, which opposes [[same-sex marriage]] and adoptions.<ref name=Handelsblatt>{{cite web|url=https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/alice-weidel-afd-germany-far-right-populist-819466|title=Cosmopolitan Lesbian Turns Far-Right Agitator|date=20 September 2017|accessdate=22 September 2017}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 20:58, 3 December 2017
Alice Weidel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of Alternative for Germany in the Bundestag | |
| Assumed office 28 September 2017 Serving with Alexander Gauland | |
| Chairman | Jörg Meuthen |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Member of the Bundestag | |
| Assumed office 24 October 2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alice Elisabeth Weidel 6 February 1979 Gütersloh, Germany |
| Political party | Alternative for Germany |
| Domestic partner | Sarah Bossard |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | |
| Alma mater | University of Bayreuth |
Alice Elisabeth Weidel (born 6 February 1979) is a German politician who has served as Leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag and a Member of the Bundestag since October 2017. Together with Alexander Gauland she was the AfD's lead 2017 German federal election candidate.[1]
She is the first lesbian to serve as a lead candidate of her party, which opposes same-sex marriage and adoptions.[2]
Early life and education
Weidel was born in Gütersloh and grew up in Versmold.[3] She studied economics at the University of Bayreuth and went on to earn a doctor of philosophy in international development from Bayreuth in 2011.[4][5][3]
Career
After receiving her undergraduate university degree, Weidel went to work for Goldman Sachs, before moving to Allianz Global Investors.[3] In the late 2000s, she worked at the Bank of China, living six years in China.[3][6] Weidel speaks Mandarin.[7] After leaving the Bank of China, she was employed for two years at Heristo, a Bad Rothenfelde-based animal feed supplier.[3] Since 2014 she has worked as a freelance business consultant.[3]
Politics
Alternative for Germany
Weidel joined Alternative for Germany (AfD) in 2012.[2] According to Weidel, she was first attracted to the party due to its opposition to the euro.[8] In April 2017 she was elected co-Lead Candidate of the party.[4]
Political positions
Immigration
Weidel has criticized the immigration policies of Angela Merkel, stating that "the country will be destroyed through this immigration policy. Donald Trump said that Merkel is insane and I absolutely agree with that. It is a completely nonsensical form of politics that is being followed here".[8] She has called for the German government to invest in "special economic zones" in the Middle East to encourage educated and skilled persons to remain in their home countries and avoid the possibility of brain drain, but also says she supports a "Canadian-style system" which would privilege skilled, over unskilled, immigrants.[8][9]
European Union
Weidel supports continued German membership in the European Union, however, has called for economically weak states, such as Greece to leave.[8] And, though supporting the EU, she also believes Germany should withdraw from the euro single currency.[8]
LGBTQ issues
Weidel has stated her opposition to discussion of sexuality prior to puberty saying that "I don’t want anyone with their gender idiocy or their early sexualisation classes coming near my children".[8]
She has also expressed her opposition to legalization of same-sex marriage, stating that she supports protection of the "traditional family" while also supporting "other lifestyles".[8] She has said she supports civil partnership for gay and lesbian couples, noting she is herself, a lesbian.[4]
Controversies
TV show "political correctness" incident
In April 2017, Weidel rallied against political correctness, claiming that it belonged on the "garbage heap of history". In response, on 27 April, TV presenter Christian Ehring of the satire program extra 3 addressed this, saying "sure, put an end to political correctness. Let's all be politically incorrect. That Nazi slut must be right. Was that politically incorrect enough? I hope so." Weidel sued the channel seeking to forbid re-airing of the program, and on 17 May the Hamburg District Court ruled against her, stating that a public figure must stand against exaggerated criticism.[10][11] Weidel disagreed with the decision and promised to bring it to the Oberlandesgericht (Higher Regional Court).[12] As of September 2017, no further action had taken place.
Illegal immigration incident
A September 2017 report by Die Zeit claimed that Weidel had illegally hired a Syrian refugee to do housework at her home in Switzerland. The report also alleged that the asylum seeker did not have a written work contract, nor were there invoices for her work. Weidel responded in a tweet that the Die Zeit report was “fake news” and “false" and Weidel’s lawyer stated that Weidel had a Syrian stay at her home as a guest but not as a worker.[13][14][15]
Personal life
Weidel is in a relationship with Sarah Bossard, a Swiss film producer, and has a second residence with her in Biel, Switzerland.[16] They have two children.[17][18]
Selected publications
- Das Rentensystem der Volksrepublik China. Reformoptionen aus ordnungstheoretischer Sicht zur Erhöhung der Risikoresistenz (= Schriften zur Nationalökonomie. Band 60). Verlag P.C.O., Bayreuth 2011, ISBN 978-3-941678-25-5.
References
- ^ Grieshaber, Kirsten (2017-04-23). "Germany's AfD party elects Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel as general election candidates". The Independent. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ^ a b "Cosmopolitan Lesbian Turns Far-Right Agitator". 20 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Becker, Sven (May 4, 2017). "How Far to the Right Is Alice Weidel?". Der Spiegel. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c Luyken, Jörg (May 11, 2017). "'Merkel is insane': meet the woman leading the AfD into the elections". The Local. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ Schuster, Kathleen (2017-09-04). "AfD's Alice Weidel: The pride of the populists, a mystery to everyone else". dw.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ Pepping, Dagmar (2016-07-26). "Alice Weidel - Hoffnungsträgerin der AfD" (in German). NDR. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ^ "Germany's far right preaches traditional values. Can a lesbian mother be its new voice?". Washington Post. May 15, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ma, Alexandra (September 22, 2017). "Meet Alice Weidel, the ex-Goldman Sachs banker who could lead a far-right party to its best German election result since the Nazis". Business Insider. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ Wildman, Sarah (June 5, 2017). "The German far right is faltering. They're hoping a lesbian mom can reenergize the party". Vox. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ "AfD leader loses case versus German TV show that calls her 'Nazi slut'". Reuters. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ Charter, David (18 May 2017). "TV show's 'Nazi slut' jibe at politician is legal, say judges". The Times. Berlin. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|subscription=ignored (|url-access=suggested) (help) - ^ "Satiriker darf AfD-Frau Weidel als "Nazi-Schlampe" bezeichnen". sueddeutsche.de (in German). 2017-05-17. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ^ "German far-right leader accused of illegally hiring Syrian refugee: report". POLITICO. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
- ^ "Far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel 'employed Syrian refugee as cleaner'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Lead election candidate of far-right German party secretly employed Syrian asylum seeker as cleaner". The Independent. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
- ^ "AfD-Kandidatin Alice Weidel mit Coming-out auf der Wahlkampf-Bühne: "Ich bin homosexuell"". RTL Next (in German). 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ Steiner, Thomas (2017-04-23). "Das neue Gesicht der AfD: Wer ist eigentlich Alice Weidel?". Badische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ^ "AfD-Frontfrau Alice Weidel hat einen Wohnsitz in der Schweiz". Die Welt (in German). 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
External links
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