Björn Höcke

Björn Höcke in 2015

Björn Höcke (born 1 April 1972 in Lünen) is a German politician for the right-wing populist, eurosceptic party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Biography

Höcke was born in Lünen , Westphalia. His grandparents were expelled ethnic Germans. After his Abitur at the Rhein-Wied-Gymnasium Neuwied in 1991,[1] he served in the Bundeswehr and went to law school at the University Bonn, which he did not finish. Höcke then studied sports and historical sciences for teaching at secondary schools and completed a master's degree in school management. After curricular activities in various schools he is currently working as a senior teacher at the Rhenanus School in Bad Sooden-Allendorf. In addition to the education policy, the family policy is one of his main interests.[2]

Björn Höcke is married and has four children.[3]

Political career

Höcke was member of the Junge Union.[4]

As one of the founders of AfD Thuringia, he became Member of the Landtag of Thuringia, the state assembly of the federal state of Thuringia in Germany during the 2014 Thuringian State Elections.[5] Höcke is the speaker of the parliamentary group of the AfD and he is the spokesman of the Thuringia Landesverband (English: regional association) of his party.[6] He is said to be part of the "national-conservative wing" of the AfD.[7]

He is one of the initiators of the "Erfurter Resolution", in which former leader and co-founder Bernd Lucke,was forced to resign.[8]

Political Position

European Politics

Höcke supports border control in the refugee crisis and a limit on asylum laws.[9] He deems the return to national currencies as an option to revert the European debt crisis.[10]

Family Politics

Höcke is an advocate of the elementary family, particularly a three-child-family. He demands an end of "society experiments" which undermine the natural gender order.[11] He encourages the extension of child tax credit.

He advocates a reduction of comprehensive schools and a specific schooling of outstanding students, as well as a creation of schools that particularly support special needs children. He opposes sexual education in elementary schools and wants to "stop the dissolution of the natural polarity of the two genders".[12]

Immigration

Höcke supports the position of Thilo Sarrazin and is viewed as controversial for his criticism of multiculture and Islam. His opinions have been observed by media and social scientists as right-wing populist, identitarian, nationalist.[13][14]

Political scientists such as Gero Neugebauer and Hajo Funke have commented that Höckes opinions are close to the National Democratic Party of Germany and deem his speech pattern to be völkisch,racist and fascist [15][16] - at a demonstration in Erfurt he said:

„Die Syrer, die zu uns kommen, haben immer noch Syrien. Wenn wir – durch die Syrer – unser Deutschland verloren haben, dann haben wir keine Heimat mehr.“ (The Syrians who come to us still have their Syria. But if we - through the Syrians - lose our Germany, we will not have a homeland anymore.)

Journalist Wolfgang Büscher called Björn Höcke a "Nationalist of the Old School" and compares Höckes love for Prussia to the DNVP of the Weimar Republic.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Fraktionsvorsitzender der AfD Björn Höcke besucht seine Heimatstadt Neuwied". Der Lokalanzeiger. 24 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "AfD Kandidat Höcke im Interview: Drei-Kinder-Familie ist politisches Leitbild". Thüringische Landeszeitung. 21 July 2014.
  3. ↑ [Björn Höcke "Thüringer AfD-Chef: "Die AfD ist im Aufbruch, gewisse Turbulenzen sind normal""] Check |url= value (help). Thüringer Allgemeine. 22 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "AfD-Rechtsaußen Höcke ist von ganz alter Schule". Die Welt. 2 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "Landtagswahl 2014: Welche Koalitionen sind in Thüringen möglich?"". Thüringische Landeszeitung. 16 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "AfD Vorstand Thüringen".
  7. ↑ "Thüringen: Ausschuss hebt Immunität von AfD-Fraktionschef Höcke auf". Der Spiegel. 3 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "AfD Alternative für Deutschland co-founder resigns over 'xenophobic' power grab". The Local. 9 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "AfD fordert Aussetzung des Schengener Abkommens". Die Zeit. 27 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kandidaten Bundestagswahl 2013". wen-wählen.de. 2013.
  11. ↑ "Natürliche Geschlechterordnung". Die Tageszeitung. 17 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "AfD will sich mit rechten Thesen profilieren". Der Tagesspiegel. 31 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Welche Rechten stecken hinter dem schwarzen Haken?". Die Welt. 3 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Hessen will AfD-Politiker Höcke nicht mehr unterrichten lassen". Der Tagesspiegel. 18 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Eindeutig rechtsextremistisch". Handelsblatt. 2 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Die AfD hat sich rechtsradikalisiert". Deutschlandfunk. 23 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "AfD-Rechtsaußen Höcke ist von ganz alter Schule". Die Welt. 2 November 2015.

External links

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