Alice Weidel, co-chair of Alternative for Germany (AfD, far-right), launched a scathing attack on Emmanuel Macron in a video posted on December 3 on YouTube and widely shared on social media. She claims that Macron’s France is collapsing, burdened by public debt exceeding 3200 billion euros, rampant insecurity, and the sabotage of nuclear energy through the 2020 closure of the Fessenheim plant.
According to Weidel, Macron is in “complete denial,” sacrificing French sovereignty to punitive European standards and trade agreements like Mercosur, which expose farmers to unfair competition. She describes France as an “unreliable partner” and warns that a French economic collapse could destabilize the entire Europe.
This outburst aligns with the AfD’s eurosceptic and sovereignist line, which regularly criticizes European policies. The video, viewed millions of times, sparked outrage: German media like Der Spiegel denounce populist rhetoric, while in France, RN figures like Jordan Bardella or Marine Le Pen tacitly echo these views.
The Élysée has not responded directly, but government sources highlight French advances in energy (nuclear revival with EPR2) and security. This controversy revives Franco-German tensions amid shared agricultural and budgetary crises.
Alice Weidel, a Bundestag member since 2017, is known for her anti-immigration and anti-EU stances. This attack comes as the AfD gains ground in eastern Germany ahead of the 2025 federal elections.