Xenia Simon, pictured, was first introduced to the ADR party activities at the age of 17 Matic Zorman/Maison Moderne

Xenia Simon, pictured, was first introduced to the ADR party activities at the age of 17 Matic Zorman/Maison Moderne

“It's not that we're not interested in others, but our priority is the people of our country,” says Simon.

Although she has only been a member of the ADR since January 2020, Simon has been active in the party since she was 17. It was her grandmother, who has been involved in ADR for years, who brought her into the party. “She took me with her to give me the opportunity to look at projects from inside the party,” she explains.

There she met people “who support each other, who have a lot of respect for each other, especially when they explain their point of view. That's a big positive point.” And their ideas are “clean”: they don't respond “only to their own interest, that of ADR, but to the interest of everyone.”

She says the party has everyone’s interests, but believes it “is only fair to make sure that everything is working in our country. It's a shame we're considered racist, when we only want to look first at the people who live in the country, and then at others as well.”

She admits that Luxembourg is rich, but she says “only half the population is rich: there's a lot of poverty, people on the streets, unemployment.... It's a problem we have to solve first, then we'll look for the others.”

In a country where almost half the population is non-Luxembourgish, Simon would like to see more harmony between the different nationalities. “I'd like to stop making differences between Belgians, Germans, French and Luxembourgers, and for this diversity of nationalities to be seen not as an issue, but as a plus.”

Her solution: “Foreigners have to adapt to Luxembourg, to avoid language problems when you go to the bakery.” Of course, “it's not that the ADR doesn't support multiculturalism,” but it requires “an adaptation to our lifestyle.” The first point is learning the Luxembourg language: “Knowing how to speak it is the most important thing,” Simon says.

With a degree in graphic design, and after a job in a private agency, Xenia Simon is now a train attendant for rail operator the CFL. Within the ADR, she believes her design know-how can help the party image to be more creative, less formal and more attractive to young people.

If the departure of a personality like Gast Gibéryen is “a loss for ADR, it is also an opportunity for other, younger members to shine,” Simon believes. She herself, once settled in her own apartment, sees herself on a candidate list for the next elections.

This article was first published in French on Paperjam.lu