Holger Apfel
Holger Apfel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the National Democratic Party of Germany | |
| In office 13 November 2011 – 19 December 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Udo Voigt |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| Member of the Saxon Parliament | |
| Assumed office 2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 December 1970 Hildesheim, Lower Saxony |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | National Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Jasmin Langer |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | http://www.holger-apfel.de/ |
Holger Apfel (born 29 December 1970) is a German politician and former leader of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). He has been a member of the Saxon Parliament since 2004, serving as the chairman of the NPD parliamentary group and a member of the presidium of the parliament.
Apfel became the NPD's national leader in 2011. On 19 December 2013, he resigned with immediate effect from his leadership positions at both the national and the state level, reportedly on health grounds.[1]
Political activities
Apfel has a long history of activism with the NPD, starting in the 1980s when he was active in the NPD's youth organisation. He was the deputy chairman of the NPD at the national level between 2000 and 2009 and deputy chairman at the state level between 2002 and 2009. Between 2009 and 2011, he served as the chairman of Saxony's NPD.
On 19 September 2004, Apfel led the NPD in Saxony to its biggest electoral success, winning 9.2% of the popular vote and twelve seats in the Landtag. He became the leader of the party's parliamentary group.
In 2005, Apfel and his party refused to take part in a moment of silence for the victims of Nazi Germany, which was to be held in the Saxon Landtag. The NPD parliamentary group had previously demanded that a moment of silence be held for the victims of the bombing of Dresden instead. In the ensuing parliamentary debate Apfel called the Allies of World War II "mass murderers" and accused the British of having waged a "holocaust" against Germans.[2]
In the 2005 federal election, he was a candidate for the constituency of Kamenz, Hoyerswerda and Großenhain, and received 6.7% of the votes.
On 13 November 2011, he was elected leader of the NPD at the national level.[3] On 19 December 2013, he resigned with immediate effect from his leadership positions at both the national and the state level, reportedly on health grounds.[1] Media outlets reported that Apfel was in poor health and suffering from "burnout syndrome".[1][4]
Personal life
Apfel is married to Jasmin Apfel (born 1983), formerly the head of the NPD women's organisation, Ring Nationaler Frauen. They have three children. In 2012, the couple separated and Jasmin Apfel announced that she had resigned from both the RNF and the NPD.[5][6]
External links
References
- ^ a b c Bender, Justus (19 December 2013). "NPD-Chef Holger Apfel tritt zurück" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ Ian Traynor: Dresden parliament in uproar at neo-Nazi outburst in: The Guardian, accessed 22-10-2012
- ^ Stabwechsel bei der NPD in: Blick nach rechts, accessed 14-11-2011
- ^ Hebel, Christina; Röbel, Sven (19 December 2013). "Rechtsextreme: NPD-Chef Apfel tritt zurück" (in German). Spiegel Online. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Interview mit Jasmin Apfel" (in German). Indymedia. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Politik: NPD-Chef und Partei verlassen" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
Chairmen of the National Democratic Party of Germany | ||
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