Such facts are also shared by Lithuanians. It states that A. Weidel is homosexual, has an immigrant partner with whom she has adopted two children, and lives outside Germany.
AfD openly declares itself against same-sex marriage and adoption rights, talks about mass deportations of refugees, and proclaims that the “time has come for Germany.” These ideas are more or less supported by the leader herself, so is such a contradiction possible?
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The dissonance surprises even those who follow events in Germany’s political arena.
“Did AfD’s electorate really know who they were voting for?” – rhetorically asked a “Facebook” user who shared this politician’s profile.
According to him, A. Weidel is a lesbian, lives in a partnership with a woman born in Sri Lanka, raises two adopted children with her, and has a home in Switzerland.
“At the same time, she leads AfD – a party that advocates strict immigration policies and traditionally supports the heterosexual family model and opposes same-sex marriage. A. Weidel’s own position on homosexual families is more liberal than her party’s line.
It seems that the populist electorate is neither selective nor demanding of its candidates, – the internet user marveled. – There are not even minimal qualification requirements to behave and set an example that matches their declared values. The leader of a party presenting itself as right-wing is ideologically more leftist than the biggest Marxists themselves.”
Could it be that the force that won the local elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, whose position on certain issues is strict and even shocking, has a leader whose personality and life contradict the party’s values?
Also read: For the first time since World War II: extreme right-wingers triumphed in Germany’s regional elections
The same image has recently been shared on various social networks and in different countries. 15min reviews the information published about one of the two AfD chairpersons.
The face of AfD Alice Weidel
A. Weidel was born on February 6, 1979, in Gütersloh (North Rhine-Westphalia). After completing studies in economics and business administration at the University of Bayreuth, she worked in the financial sector, later as a consultant for startups. The future politician worked for six years at a Chinese bank. During this time, she not only learned Mandarin but also wrote a doctoral dissertation on the country’s pension system.
Such education and experience were significant when A. Weidel joined AfD – a party founded in 2013 as a response to the economic crisis and the implementation of the Eurozone bailout plan, which the party fiercely opposed. Only after a couple of years, with the onset of the migrant crisis, did attention shift to migration and national identity.
The woman entered politics the same year by becoming a member of AfD. Due to her economic knowledge, strong communication skills, ability to argue, and spread the party’s message to a wider audience, A. Weidel quickly rose within the organization.
“Since then, she has passionately adhered to a policy that prioritizes citizens’ interests regardless of ideological constraints and the interests of the political elite,” – it is written on A. Weidel’s website.
In October 2017, she became a member of the Bundestag, focusing mainly on economic, financial, and security policies in parliament. Together with Tino Chrupalla, she leads not only the party but also its parliamentary group. A. Weidel has been AfD’s federal press representative for four years, thus one of the party’s main voices.
She is against homosexuals but is herself a lesbian
A. Weidel does not hide being homosexual and having a family. Her activities include constant public appearances, debates, and media interviews. However, only A. Weidel the politician is visible publicly. She tries to separate her political and personal life and to keep the latter private.
The parliamentarian’s official biography on the Bundestag page provides sparse information: “Two children; registered partnership.” However, the media constantly discusses the woman’s family life, especially since it contradicts the values promoted by AfD.
Since 2009, the woman’s partner has been Swiss film producer Sarah Bossard. According to “Munich Eye,” her works often “explore themes that may not align with the conservative views promoted by AfD.” More information about S. Bossard’s personality is hard to find – the woman focuses on her professional work and family, thus avoids publicity.
The couple has not married even after 17 years together. A. Weidel has said that legalizing same-sex marriage is not important and that AfD focuses more on protecting traditional family values rather than open homophobia. Last year, party members decided to include in the election program the statement “The family, consisting of a father, mother, and children, is the nucleus of society.” The previous definition was not so specific.
She is against immigration, but her partner is an immigrant from Sri Lanka
This is not entirely accurate. S. Bossard was indeed born in Sri Lanka, but she was adopted as a baby by a Swiss family, so the woman cannot be called an immigrant in the classic sense.
In 2015, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed more than a million refugees to enter Germany. There was great dissatisfaction, and it was precisely at that time that AfD began supporting restrictive immigration policies. A. Weidel agreed with this shift. “Burqas, girls with headscarves, men armed with knives receiving government benefits, and other useless people will not ensure our prosperity, economic growth, and social welfare system,” she explained in 2018.
Recently, the politician promotes what she calls “remigration” – this term used by the German right-wing is understood as a synonym for deportations.
AfD opposes mass immigration and advocates strict border control. According to its leader, opposition is against illegal immigration and the current asylum system, not legal migration or qualified integration.
She is against the possibility of homosexuals adopting, but she herself raises two adopted children
This fact also requires context. The couple indeed raises two boys, but S. Bossard is their biological mother, and A. Weidel simply adopted her partner’s sons. In other words, they are not adopted children as many imagine – orphans or children who lost parental care and were taken in by another family.
AfD has long opposed the possibility of same-sex couples adopting and previously even threatened to seek to have the country abolish the possibility of same-sex marriage.
German patriot living in Switzerland
A. Weidel indeed divides her time between these countries. The couple with children resides in the Swiss town of Einsiedeln, located 40 km southeast of Zurich (previously lived in Biel, in the western part of the country). The politician’s workplace is Berlin, where the parliament operates. She lists her residence as Iberlingen, a town by Lake Constance, in her electoral district.
However, in her statements, the AfD leader praises her native country. “Time for Germany!” – such a slogan welcomes visitors on her website. A. Weidel advocates policies that protect Germany and its citizens’ interests: “Security, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our culture are her main concerns.”
Over time, AfD’s rhetoric has become increasingly radical. Some of its well-known members even began openly using Nazi-like expressions, downplaying the horrors of the Holocaust. A. Weidel did not follow their example but refused to distance herself from these colleagues.
The politician was born into a Catholic family of a merchant and a housewife (she now considers herself agnostic). Her paternal grandfather, Hans Weidel, who died when she was six, was a prominent Nazi judge appointed by Adolf Hitler himself. Later, the family did not discuss the grandfather’s Nazi connections.
15min verdict: true. Some details of AfD leader A. Weidel’s life indeed do not match the party’s declared values.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social networks. More about the program and its rules – here.
