Weidel Shock in Germany

🚨 “We will leave the euro and Schengen.”

🚨 “We will radically restrict immigration.”

🚨 “All 1.3 million Syrians will be sent back.”

🚨 “No more refugees will be brought from Afghanistan by plane.”

Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has rapidly increased its support in recent years, made a series of striking statements during the German public broadcaster ZDF’s Summer Interview program.

Reiterating her pledge to withdraw from the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees free movement within much of the European Union, Weidel said Germany would close its borders and end its participation in Schengen.

She also described the euro, the EU’s common currency, as “unstable and fragile,” arguing that Germany was economically stronger before the euro was introduced. Weidel said the AfD would take Germany out of the euro if it came to power.

Weidel also focused heavily on immigration and citizenship, arguing that Germany had lost security because of its open borders.

While making tough statements on immigration and citizenship policies, the AfD leader specifically targeted Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers rather than Turkish nationals.

Criticizing recent naturalizations in Germany, Weidel claimed that 306,000 unemployed people had been granted German citizenship. She also claimed that Afghans have the highest crime rate among communities in the country.

Three German states are due to hold elections next month. In recent opinion polls, the AfD is eight percentage points ahead of the CDU/CSU.

Polls indicate that the AfD is expected to win by a wide margin in Saxony-Anhalt.

The AfD is likewise considered the favorite in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern election, while the party is also widely expected to secure a significant share of the vote in the Berlin state election.

Weidel’s statements on leaving the euro and Schengen have drawn strong reactions from economic circles.

Source: AFP, dpa / TY, MUK