Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party will hold a referendum on the nation’s European Union membership if it comes to power, according to party leader Alice Weidel.
In a Jan. 22 interview with the Financial Times, Ms. Weidel hailed the UK’s departure from the EU four years ago as a “model for Germany.” In a move commonly known as “Brexit,” the UK officially left the EU in 2020 based on the outcome of a 2016 referendum.
According to Ms. Weidel, an AfD-led government in Germany would first seek to “curb” the powers of the Brussels-based European Commission, which she described as an “unelected executive.”
“But if reform isn’t possible ... we should let the people decide, as Britain did,” Ms. Weidel, who has led the party since 2022, said in the interview.
Labeled “far-right” by critics, the AfD opposes the pro-immigration and “climate-friendly” policies of Germany’s current pro-EU government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The party also opposes Western-led sanctions on Russia and continued German support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Ms. Weidel acknowledged in the interview that the AfD wouldn’t likely come to power “before 2029.” However, she said an eventual role for the party in the country’s governance is “inevitable.”
John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images
Striking Farmers Rally to Party
This month, German farmers staged a nationwide strike to protest against plans by Mr. Scholz’s ruling coalition to boost taxes and phase out farming subsidies.According to the government, the measures are needed to offset a 17-billion-euro (about $18.6 billion) shortfall in the state’s budget for 2024.
However, many of the nation’s farmers say the austerity plan—if enacted—would drive them out of business.
The weeklong strike ended on Jan. 15, when thousands of farmers—most of them driving tractors and trucks—converged on Berlin to press their demands.
The AfD staunchly opposes the government’s proposed austerity measures and openly supported the farmers’ strike. In Berlin and elsewhere, many of the strikers’ vehicles were adorned with AfD banners bearing the slogan: “Our farmers come first.”
Given the mounting public disaffection with Mr. Scholz’s ruling coalition, the AfD hopes to score major gains in regional elections slated for this year.
Since its establishment in 2013, the party has seen its popularity increase, especially in the country’s east. According to recent polling, it currently holds a significant lead over all three parties in the ruling coalition.
Along with Mr. Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party, they include the liberal Free Democratic Party and Germany’s Green Party.
Recent polling further suggests that a substantial portion of AfD supporters would back Germany’s departure from the EU if the issue were put to a nationwide vote.
Protesters Decry ‘Far Right’
The AfD-backed farmers’ strikes have been followed by large protests across the country against the perceived ascendance of Germany’s “far right.”Protests were sparked by reports in the media that a group of “right-wing extremists”—including AfD members—had drawn up a plan to deport all “non-assimilated” immigrants from the country. According to the reports, the secret plan was to go into effect once the AfD and its “far-right” allies had assumed power in Berlin.
The AfD has denied the media’s claims that it harbors secret plans to deport all of Germany’s “non-assimilated” residents.
Ms. Weidel said the claims were aimed at discrediting her party, which only seeks to “repatriate” those who lack a legal right to stay in the country.
“The AfD is the party that stands for enforcing this country’s laws,” she told the Financial Times.
A demonstrator in Frankfurt cited by Reuters said the protests against the German “far right” were a “signal to the world that we won’t let this happen without commenting on it.”
Last week, Mr. Scholz himself attended an anti-far right demonstration that was held in Berlin.
“I am grateful that tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets across Germany ... against racism, hate speech, and in favor of our liberal democracy,” the chancellor said in a social-media post.
In recent weeks, several prominent critics of the AfD have openly called for the party’s dissolution, citing Germany’s constitution and “anti-extremism” laws.
Several high-ranking AfD members—suspected of harboring “extremist” views—remain under surveillance by the country’s security apparatus.
