Descendants of the Jewish Simson family are shocked that their name appears on T-shirts or posters in connection with the AfD or the Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke. Such political co-opting through the use of the name—which also stands for a well-known moped brand—must be completely ruled out, said Dennis Baum, spokesperson for the family, which now lives in the U.S., on the sidelines of an event in Erfurt. Ultimately, the AfD is attempting to use the name of the entrepreneurial family—which was expelled by the Nazis—for promotional purposes.
Baum announced that he would be participating this Saturday in a “Festival of Democracy,” one of the protest events taking place in conjunction with the AfD’s national party convention in Erfurt. At the event in the New Synagogue in Erfurt, the 82-year-old called the date of the AfD party convention—exactly 100 years after a Nazi party rally in Weimar—a “slap in the face of democracy.”
Simson mopeds produced in Suhl, such as the “Schwalbe” or S50/51, have cult status among many young people and symbolize the East German way of life and mobility. Time and again, AfD politicians—not only in Thuringia—are seen riding these mopeds or organizing group rides.
