Beatrix von Storch
| Beatrix von Storch née Herzogin von Oldenburg MEP | |
|---|---|
 Beatrix von Storch in 2014 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Germany | |
|
Assumed office 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 May 1971 Lübeck |
| Political party | Alternative for Germany (AfD) |
| Spouse(s) | Sven von Storch |
| Mother | Felicitas-Anita Gräfin Schwerin von Krosigk |
| Father | Huno Herzog von Oldenburg |
| Occupation | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Website |
www |
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Extended family
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Beatrix von Storch, née Beatrix Amelie Ehrengard Eilika Herzogin von Oldenburg (born 27 May 1971 in Lübeck) is a German politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, serving since 2014.[1]
Early life
Family background
Storch is the elder daughter of Felicitas-Anita Gräfin Schwerin von Krosigk and Huno Herzog von Oldenburg, a younger son of Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1897–1970), erstwhile head of the former ruling family of Oldenburg. She belongs to the same family as the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and Charles, Prince of Wales, heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. Her immediate family is itself a branch of the Danish line of the family.
Her mother is a daughter of Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, who served as finance minister under Adolf Hitler and was the last Leading Minister of the Third Reich.[2]
Her cousin Eilika Herzogin von Oldenburg is married to Georg von Habsburg.
Education and early career
Storch was a banker before she studied law in Heidelberg and Lausanne. She worked as a lawyer in Berlin when she began her political career.
Political career
Since 2014, Beatrix von Storch has been a Member of European Parliament representing the conservative Alternative for Germany party. Initially a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, she left the group in April 2016, forestalling her imminent expulsion, and immediately joined the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) group.[3]
Controversies
Legal battle with the Berliner Schaubühne
In November 2015, a leading Berlin theatre, the Schaubühne, was brought into legal conflict with Beatrix von Storch over a piece, Falk Richter's FEAR, that parodied AfD leaders as zombies and mass murderers. Beatrix von Storch is depicted facing retribution for her grandfather's role as a minister in Hitler's government.[4] AfD Spokesperson, Christian Lüth, responded by interrupting a performance and filming it. Beatrix von Storch, and Conservative spokesperson Hedwig von Beverfoerde, then requested and obtained a preliminary injunction against the theatre, prohibiting it from using images of them in the production. They charged that the images' use violated their human dignity protected under the Constitution.[5] On 15 December 2015, the court ruled against the complainants in favour of the theatre's freedom of expression and lifted the injunctions against using the images. The judges commented that 'any audience member can recognize that this is just a play'.[6]
Remarks about the use of deadly force against refugees
In late February 2016, Storch was "pied" by members of the German left-wing group Peng Collective at a party meeting in Kassel. The activists, dressed as clowns, protested against her controversial remarks when she had asserted that German border control personnel had the right to shoot at incoming illegal immigrants. A YouTube video of the pieing gained wide attention in social media.[7][8]
Personal life
She is married to Sven von Storch.[9]
Ancestry
Storch is the daughter of Huno Herzog von Oldenburg, by his marriage to Felicitas-Anita Gräfin von Schwerin-Krosigk. As well as her mostly German descent, she also has some distant Scottish blood. The ducal family of Oldenburg is a cadet branch of the royal family of Holstein-Gottorp, different branches of which have held the crowns of Denmark, Sweden, and the Russian Empire.
On her father's side, Storch is a great-grandniece of Queen Emma of the Netherlands. She is descended in three lines from the House of Hanover and is thus in the extended line of succession to the British throne. Her maternal great-great-grandmother Lisette von Krosigk, a daughter of the German-Scottish Ludwig von Westphalen, was a sister-in-law of Karl Marx.
| Ancestors of Beatrix von Storch |
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See also
- European Parliament election, 2014 (Germany)
- Counts, dukes and grand dukes of Oldenburg
- List of people who have been pied
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beatrix von Storch. |
- Official website (German)
- Personal profile of Beatrix von Storch in the European Parliament's database of members
- Personal video channel on YouTube
References
- ↑ www.europarl.europa.eu
- ↑ www.thepeerage.com
- ↑ Martin Banks (11 April 2016). "ECR reject joins EFDD group". The Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "Aufregung Um Theaterstueck. AfD Populisten wollen deine Zombies Sein". Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ↑ "Fear siegt ueber die Angst von AfD und Pegida". Tagespiele.
- ↑ "AfD Unterliegt im Zombie Streit". Handelsblatt.
- ↑ 'Tart War with AfD politician attacked in meeting', huffingtonpost.de video
- ↑ Tart attack at YouTube
- ↑ Amann, Melanie; Bartsch, Matthias; Friedmann, Jan; Minkmar, Nils; Sauga, Michael; Winter, Steffen (10 February 2016). "The Hate Preachers: Inside Germany's Dangerous New Populist Party". Spiegel. Retrieved 19 February 2016.