Marina Weisband

Marina Weisband at a press conference

Marina Weisband (born 4 October 1987 in Kiev) is a German-Jewish politician. From May 2011 until April 2012 she was Politische Geschäftsführerin ("Political Director") of the Pirate Party Germany.

Life and career

Weisband was born and raised in Kiev to a Jewish family. In 1994, she and her family moved to Wuppertal in Germany as Kontingentflüchtlinge (literally "Quota refugees"—these are foreigners admitted to Germany on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. Most Kontingentflüchtlinge from the former Soviet Union are Jewish.) She finished school in 2006 and studies psychology at the University of Münster. Currently, she is working on her diploma thesis.

Weisband joined the German Pirate Party in 2009. The Pirate Party won its first seats in a regional election in Berlin on 18 September 2011, gaining around 9% of the vote.

In April 2012, with support from other senior Pirate Party figures, she called on members of her party to tackle antisemitism and right wing extremism within their own ranks. Der Spiegel suggested that the Pirate Party needed to dispel a perception that it was a sympathetic environment for radical extremists. Shortly afterwards Weisband announced she would not be seeking re-election next month, citing the need to focus on studying for her degree in psychology. She did not rule out a return to politics after graduating.[1][2]

Weisband is the Pirate Party's most recognised face, appealing particularly to younger voters with her "laid-back style".[2] In 2013 she published a book advocating direct, "liquid" democracy.[3][4]

The Pirate Party leadership (2011). From left to right: Rene Brosig, Matthias Schrade, Marina Weisband, Sebastian Nerz, Gefion Thürmer, Wilm Schumacher, Bernd Schlömer

She revealed in September 2016 that she had left the Pirate Party the previous year and was focussing on the Aula project, an initiative to facilitate children's participation in politics using software she had developed that was being tested in four German cities.[5][6]

Personal life

Weisband describes herself as a devout Jew. In June 2013 she married Marcus Rosenfeld.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Unsere Ideen versinken in Müll und Dreck" ("Our ideas are drowning in garbage and filth"), Der Spiegel online, 20 April 2012, retrieved 22 April 2012. (German)
  2. 1 2 "Marina Weisband, Student and Politician", Deutsche Welle, 24 April 2012, retrieved 30 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Laura Himmelreich, "Die heilige Marina" (St. Marina), Stern, 11 March 2013, retrieved 12 September 2016. (German)
  4. ↑ Marina Weisband, Wir nennen es Politik: Ideen für eine zeitgemässe Demokratie, Stuttgart: Tropen, 2013, OCLC 864300807 (German)
  5. ↑ "Marina Weisband trat heimlich bei den Piraten aus" ("Marina Weisband secretly left the Pirate Party"), Der Spiegel online, 9 September 2016, retrieved 9 September 2016. (German)
  6. ↑ Richard Herzinger, "Was macht die Ober-Piratin eigentlich heute?" (What is the top Pirate woman actually doing today?), Die Welt, 9 September 2016, retrieved 12 September 2016 (German)
  7. ↑ "Die schöne Piratin hat heimlich geheiratet" (The beautiful pirate has secretly married), T Online, 25 June 2013, retrieved 12 September 2016. (German)

Sources

This article was abridged and translated from its equivalent in the German Wikipedia on 13 January 2012.

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