George Simion intervenes in support of AfD leader Alice Weidel: “I believe she did not insult us”

AUR President George Simion said Wednesday evening that Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s AfD party, did not insult Romanians through her statement that “migrants from Romania are plundering Germany’s social welfare system.” Simion argues that the statement referred to a particular situation in Magdeburg, where some people allegedly came to live on social benefits.

The AUR leader said on Digi24 that Romanians who work legally in Germany and pay their taxes should not feel targeted. He stated that many of the Romanians he knows support both AUR and AfD, which he says promotes honest work.

The reaction came after Weidel said on the X platform that child benefits, social assistance and medical services were increasingly being claimed by migrants from Romania. She cited the case of the city of Magdeburg and annual social spending of three million euros.

The statements were criticized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dominic Fritz, Ilie Bolojan and Sorin Grindeanu, who emphasized Romanians’ contribution to the German economy and rejected generalizations. Meanwhile, AUR Senate leader Petrișor Peiu distanced himself from Weidel’s position, describing it as unfair and untrue.