Fred Keup

Fred Keup (born 15 May 1980) is a Luxembourgish politician of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) who has served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2020. Since October 2023 he has been leader of the ADR parliamentary group.

Life

Keup grew up in Kehlen and currently lives in Mamer. He is married and the father of two children. After his secondary school education at the Lycée Michel Rodange, he studied geography at the University of Strasbourg in France. From 2003 onwards he had taught geography and civil education in high school.

Referendum 2015

In the 2015 Luxembourg constitutional referendum, Fred Keup and a friend of his, Steve Kodesch, started a Facebook page publicly opposing the government and much of the establishment's wish to give foreigners the right to vote in the national elections. As the page become very popular, they established a political pressure group called "Nee2015". During the campaign, Fred Keup was seen as the spokesman of the "no camp" (fr: Porte-parole du camp du "non") and "the leading head of the no campaign". A highlight of the intense campaign was a public debate moderated by Radio RTL Luxembourg between Fred Keup and Laura Zuccoli. After the referendum (which ended with 79% against the right for foreigners to vote in national elections), the group renamed itself “Wee2050” with a focus on supporting the Luxembourgish language, which they believe are endangered, and the rapid economic growth in Luxembourg. Keup has also expressed his support for the Monarchy of Luxembourg. Fred Keup locates himself as a representative of the political center (“Vertieder vun der politescher Mëtt”), a claim which he bases on the results of the 2015 referendum. The magazine Forum claims that the fusion between Keup's Wee 2050 and the ADR resulted in the latter becoming a populist right-wing party.

Politics

In the 2018 Luxembourg general election, Fred Keup ran on the ADR's list in the Southern voting district and received the third most votes on that list. After the first elected Gaston Gibéryen declared his wish to retire early, Keup replaced him at the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) on October 14, 2020. In the 2023 Luxembourg general election, Keup got elected first on the ADR's Southern list. The ADR campaign and Keup's style was described as right-wing populism by Luxembourgish media, as it focussed on the alleged disappearance of the Luxembourgish language, culture war and fear of foreigners. Keup's dealing with members who used right-wing extremist symbolism was also criticized, as he failed to act and refused to acknowledge the documented symbols.

Keup was president of the ADR from March 3, 2022, until March 17, 2024. In his speech at the national congress of his party, he said he felt one should not fill two offices. Keup has been a member the Chamber of Deputies for all of his career as party president. His successor is Alexandra Schoos, also a member of the Chamber. Keup's rheotric at this congress has been called extreme and compared to that of Donald Trump and members of the German AfD who were at the 2023 Potsdam far-right meeting. He warned of "a rosy dream, a woke world without the nation of Luxembourg" and socialism which in his eyes would enable "mass-migration" into Europe.

Other interests

Fred Keup is the president of the football club FC Kehlen and was a board member of the Actioun Lëtzebuergesch .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keup, Fred
Alternative Democratic Reform Party politicians
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg)
1980 births
University of Strasbourg alumni
Living people