“REMIGRATION”
Der Spiegel said Weidel is “the perfect fig leaf” for the party, which is considered by Germany’s domestic security service to be right-wing extremist in parts.
“If someone accuses the AfD of being misogynistic, homophobic or racist, they can say they have Weidel, so the AfD cannot be all of those things, even though it is,” the magazine said.
While Weidel has never hidden her relationship with her partner, with whom she is raising two sons, she has distanced herself from the broader LGBTQ movement.
At a party conference in January, she rejected accusations that she has failed to engage with the movement, charging that her critics “have no idea at all about the reality of my life”.
“And I must honestly say that I will not tolerate any interference in my life or my family,” she said.
Despite presenting a more moderate face for the far-right party, Weidel has not shied away from some of its most radical positions when firing up party members.
At the AfD congress, Weidel vowed that a government that includes the AfD would force the “total closing of Germany’s borders” as well as “large-scale repatriations”.
“I say to you quite honestly, if this must be called remigration, then let it be called remigration.”
