Eric Weber

Weber was born in Basel, Switzerland on 24 June 1963 to Rudolf Weber{{cite web | url=https://www.onlinereports.ch/Politik.110+M572fdd0c202.0.html|language=de | title=Eric Weber: "Ich will zuschlagen und Geschichte machen" }} and a German-born mother, who hailed originally from Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany.{{cite web|website=grosserrat.bs.ch

|url=https://grosserrat.bs.ch/dokumente/100378/000000378627.pdf|title=Schriftliche Anfrage Eric Weber betreffend "kann Basel in Eric Weber-Stadt umbenannt werden"|access-date=27 March 2023|date=10 September 2014|language=de}} He was primarily raised in Reigoldswil in Basel-Landschaft. His father, a travel agent, served one term as a member of the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt since 1968 and became the successor of James Schwarzenbach as president of the Swiss Democrats. Weber completed a commercial apprenticeship as a travel agent.[http://www.ericweber.homepage.t-online.de/ Eric Weber homepage]

File:Eric Weber.jpg

Weber started his career after completing his apprenticeship at Oltner Tagblatt, a daily newspaper in Olten, Switzerland, as a volunteer in the editor's office. He was a full-time politician between 1984 and 1992. As a result of manipulations in the run-up to the 1988 Grand Council elections, Weber was convicted by the Basel Criminal Court in August 1991 and by the Court of Appeal in November 1992. Weber then moved the judgment forward to the Federal Supreme Court. In April 1994, he lost his appeal and he was ultimately convicted and declared incapacitated for five years.{{Cite web |title=Eric Weber steht wieder vor Gericht |url=https://www.bazonline.ch/eric-weber-steht-wieder-vor-gericht-919355899117 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=Basler Zeitung |language=de}}

Subsequently, he moved to his mothers homeland, and settled in Hof, Germany where he began to work as an independent journalist. He declared to have worked for several German newspapers, such as Freie Presse in Chemnitz, Sächsische Zeitung in Dresden and Bild.{{cite web | url=http://www.holtzbrinck-schule.de/pshbs?fn=holtzbrinckschule&sfn=load_binary&id=66&version=large | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060222213542/http://www.holtzbrinck-schule.de/pshbs?fn=holtzbrinckschule&sfn=load_binary&id=66&version=large | archive-date=2006-02-22 | title=Startseite - Georg von Holtzbrinck-Schule }}[http://www.schweizer-demokraten.ch/2005_05.pdf Archived copy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426011422/http://www.schweizer-demokraten.ch/2005_05.pdf|date=26 April 2006}} According to an article/research by Süddeutsche Zeitung he didn't actually work for Bild, and instead worked on more right-minded newspapers such as Nation Europa and Zur Zeit.{{Cite web |last=Gupta |first=Oliver Das |title=Rechtsradikaler erschleicht Beckstein-Interview |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/fpoe-nahe-zeitschrift-aula-rechtsradikaler-erschleicht-beckstein-interview-1.1027253 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=Süddeutsche.de |language=de}}

Weber stated on multiple occasions, that today he primarily lives off his income as Grand Councilor, which in 2023 is 6,000 Swiss Francs (base salary) plus attendance money of 200 Swiss Francs per attended session and same amount for additional commissional sessions. In a recent interview with regioTVplus, he stated that he wanted to stay in the Grand Council another thirty years, since it is 'easy money'.{{Citation |title=Gondeltalk mit Eric Weber, Grossrat Kanton Basel-Stadt |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_UEhp0FzMQ |language=en |access-date=2023-02-21}}

Weber was a member of the far-right Nationale Aktion (the predecessor of today's Swiss Democrats) and a member of the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt from 1984 to 1992Eric Weber: [http://www.onlinereports.ch/2004/VolksaktionWeberSDdoku.htm Ich will zuschlagen und Geschichte machen]. OnlineReports (25. März 2004)[http://www.hans-stutz.ch/Archiv/2002/sept2002.html hans-stutz.ch], Basel, 19. September 2002 and again from 2012 to 2016.{{cite news|url=http://www.derbund.ch/tages-anzeiger-print/das-ende-des-wahlfaelschers/story/24443271 |title=Das Ende des Wahlfälschers |newspaper=Der Bund |date= |accessdate=2016-12-16}}{{cite news|url=http://bazonline.ch/basel/stadt/Eric-Weber-wegen-Wahlfaelschung-verurteilt/story/25801051 |title=Eric Weber wegen Wahlfälschung verurteilt - News Basel: Stadt |newspaper=Basler Zeitung |date= |accessdate=2016-12-16}} When he was first elected in 1984, he was the youngest person elected to the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt.

After attempting to participate in elections as a candidate of either the Swiss Democrats or the Swiss People's Party in 2002, Weber formed his own group, called Volksaktion gegen zuviele Ausländer und Asylanten in unserer Heimat ("popular action against too many foreigners and asylum seekers in our homeland"), participating in the 2003 federal elections. In 2006, he ran for a seat in the cantonal executive, reaching 7% of the vote.Christoph Heri (ed.): [http://www.swissinfo.org/ger/swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=6560354&cKey=1142783406000 Basel: Freisinniger folgt auf Freisinnigen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930222142/http://www.swissinfo.org/ger/swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=6560354&cKey=1142783406000 |date=2007-09-30 }}. swissinfo (19. März 2006) In the 2011 federal elections, Weber's Volksaktion received 810 votes, or 1.5% of the popular vote in Basel-Stadt. In the 2012 Basel elections, the party received two seats in the Grand Council.{{cite web|author=David Bauer |url=http://www.tageswoche.ch/de/2012_43/basel/475543/alle-resultate-im-ueberblick.htm |title=Wahlen in Basel-Stadt: Alle Resultate im Überblick |website=Tageswoche.ch |date= |accessdate=2016-12-16}}

Weber is divorced and has two daughters.{{Cite web |date=2012-09-11 |title=Ein bunter Haufen Kandidaten |url=https://www.20min.ch/story/ein-bunter-haufen-kandidaten-642822100414 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=20 Minuten |language=de}}{{Cite web |title=Der Störenfried ist zurück |url=https://www.bazonline.ch/der-stoerenfried-ist-zurueck-512607251933 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=Basler Zeitung |language=de}}

He was arrested and convicted multiple times in his life, on issues related to his political activities.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.ericweber.homepage.t-online.de personal website]
• [http://www.grosserrat.bs.ch/de/mitglieder-gremien/mitglieder-a-z?such_kategorie=5&content_detail=15003908 Profile] on the official Basel Stadt website

{{Swiss far right}}

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Category:Swiss politicians

Category:1963 births

Category:Living people