Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre denounced Christine Anderson, a European Parliament member with the AfD Party, after three of his MPs met with her during her cross-Canada tour in support of the Freedom Convoy.."Christine Anderson's views are vile and have no place in our politics. The MPs were not aware of this visiting member of the European Parliament's opinions, and they regret meeting with her," Poilievre said in a statement released Friday.."Frankly, it would be better if Anderson never visited Canada in the first place. She and her racist, hateful views are not welcome here.".Anderson, a member of German party Alternative für Deutschland, was visiting Canada to show her support for the trucker convoy that protested against COVID-19 restrictions. Anderson was photographed alongside Freedom Convoy figures Tamara Lich, Keith Wilson and Eva Chipiuk..This week, she was photographed alongside MPs Colin Carrie, Dean Allison and former Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis..The AfD and its members have become controversial for opposing immigration and criticizing Islam's impact on Europe. AfD founder Alexander Gauland has talked of fighting an "invasion of foreigners" and had downplayed the Holocaust..Anderson has said that Muslim immigration results in “billions in costs for the welfare state” and said Islam was the cause of the denial of women’s human rights in Afghanistan..Anderson also made headlines last year when she ripped into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who spoke to the European Parliament. “Mr. Trudeau, you are a disgrace for any democracy. Please spare us your presence," she said..Anderson told True North on Friday she felt "very sorry that Poilievre feels this way," and said she had a lovely time meeting with the Conservative MPs.."At no point do I see where I expressed hateful and racist views as he puts it. No one gets to define me and not even Mr. Poilievre You do not get to define me. I know what I stand for. I know what I fight for. And I know that I will never cater to any democratic leader or any elected government that does not act in the best interest of the people.".Later on Friday, the three Conservative MPs released a statement distancing themselves from Anderson, claiming it is "not uncommon" for MPs to meet with elected officials from other countries.."We were not aware of her views or associations of her and her political party. We do not share or endorse her views and strongly condemn any views that are racist or hateful," they said..During a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there has been a "pattern" of Conservatives aligning themselves with people who spread "hateful, vile, intolerant rhetoric."."Whether it's attaching a misogynistic YouTube tag to reach out to anti-women groups online, the answer is 'Oh, we didn't know about it. There's nothing to see here.' A conservative leader a meets with a known far-right extremist,' Oh, we didn't know who it was," Trudeau said in reference to the "Men Going Their Own Way" movement and Diagolon leader Jeremy MacKenzie.."Consistently, we see Conservative parliamentarians and people who should know better associating themselves with folks responsible for a particularly vile level of rhetoric and hatred," he said. "And their answer is always the same. 'Oh, we didn't know."
