'Britain was right to leave EU' claims German hard-right leader as she calls for 'Dexit' referendum

'Britain was right to leave EU' claims German hard-right leader as she calls for 'Dexit' referendum

Watch: Massive rallies were held against hard-right party AfD

Reuters
George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 23/01/2024

- 12:29

The country's hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has come under fire over the weekend

The co-leader of a hard-right party in Germany said Britain was "dead right" to leave the EU and called on Germany to hold a "Dexit" referendum.

Alice Weidel, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader since 2022, has said she wants to curb the influence of the EU in Germany and tackle what she referred to as a "democratic deficit."


It comes as hundreds of thousands turned out in protests against AfD across Germany after it was reported that some party members attended a meeting where policies such as mass deportations of people of foreign origin was discussed.

A spokesperson from the AfD confirmed the presence of its members at the meeting but has denied that the reported "remigration" plan for the expulsion of immigrants and "non-assimilated citizens" is part of their policy.

\u200bAfD co-leader Alice Weidel

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel

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"'It's a model for Germany, that one can make a sovereign decision like that," Weidel told the Financial Times newspaper.

She added: "If a reform isn't possible, if we fail to rebuild the sovereignty of the EU member states, we should let the people decide, just as Britain did...we could have a referendum on 'Dexit' - a German exit from the EU."

Protests were held against AfD over the weekend in Berlin, Munich and Cologne, as well as in more traditional AfD voting strongholds in eastern Germany such as Leipzig and Dresden.

The hard-right party is currently second in national opinion polls at around 22 percent, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats on 13 percent and behind only the conservative CDU-CSU.

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\u200bProtests were held across Germany

Protests were held across Germany

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Earlier today, the German Constitutional Court ruled that state funding can be cut off to the hard-right NPD and its successor even though it is not banned.

The court in Karlsruhe justified its decision by saying the National Democratic Party (NPD) and its successor, Die Heimat, aimed to undermine or eliminate the country's democratic system.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: "The decision comes at a time when right-wing extremism is the greatest extremist threat to our democracy.

"We are taking decisive action against all those who are preparing the ground for right-wing extremist violence."

\u200bProtests were held across Germany against the AfD

Protests were held across Germany against the AfD

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Some mainstream politicians have floated a possible ban on the AfD, withholding funding for it or removing the rights of some individuals in the party to prevent them being elected.

AfD will face a major test when the country goes to the polls for the European Parliament elections in June.

Weidel's comments put her at odds with the mainstream parties and the German public, which overwhelmingly support staying in the EU.

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