AfD party conference in Riesa
Controversial statement: Alice Weidel rows back
Updated on 01/13/2025 – 09:02 amReading time: 1 Min.
AfD leader Weidel caused a huge stir with her statement about wind turbines. Now she is backpedaling – and claims to have been misunderstood.
AfD leader Alice Weidel has defended herself against criticism of her statements about wind turbines. She felt misunderstood and emphasized that her statement had been taken out of context. Weidel told the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the party conference in Riesa that she was referring to the Reinhardswald in Hesse. There the so-called fairytale forest is being cut down “for windmills that are over 240 meters high.”
In principle, Weidel does not rule out wind power as an energy source, but emphasizes that this must happen without subsidies. In her speech after being nominated as candidate for chancellor on Saturday, she criticized: “In Hesse, the CDU government is cutting down the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale forest for wind turbines.” To loud applause, she added: “And I can tell you, when we’re in charge, we’ll tear down all the wind turbines.”
The Federal Association of Offshore Wind Energy underlined the importance of renewable energies and climate protection technologies for the competitiveness of the German economy. Association managing director Stefan Thimm warned that jobs could be at risk if other countries became market leaders here. He criticized the AfD for accepting Germany’s economic decline.
Weidel was elected as candidate for chancellor by the AfD party conference on Saturday. Six weeks before the federal election, the AfD is in second place in the polls with 21 to 22 percent, behind the Union with 30 to 31 percent. When asked about her expectations on election evening, she said: “I don’t make any predictions about the possible election results.”