Far-right AfD Leader Vows to Campaign for Brexit-style EU Exit Vote in Germany

THE GUARDIAN: Alice Weidel says UK departure is model for her country as party struggles with reaction to exposé about deportation ‘masterplan’

Alice Weidel sacked a senior aide over his attendance at the covert meeting that triggered nationwide protests. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland has said her party will campaign for a Brexit-style vote on EU membership if it comes to power, calling the UK’s departure from the bloc a model for its largest member.

Alice Weidel told the Financial Times in an exclusive interview that the UK decision would be “dead right” for Germany, and that a “Dexit” would boost the country’s self-determination.

“It’s a model for Germany, that one can make a sovereign decision like that,” she said.

It was one of the party’s first public pronouncements since the beginning of a wave of nationwide protests against the AfD, triggered by revelations that leading members had attended a covert meeting at which a “masterplan” for mass deportations of foreigners and German passport holders was discussed, with a view to the party implementing the plans if it came to power. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Monday, January 22, 2024