BERLIN — Ulrich Siegmund, the leading candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, has made a Simson moped the symbol of his election campaign.

The small Simson motorcycles are produced by a company originally founded by a Jewish family and now manufactured in East Germany. Today, they have a cult following and for many AfD supporters, Simson represents East German pride, individual freedom, and resistance to an establishment they see as predominantly West German and liberal.

Siegmund’s regular campaign events have featured dozens of vintage Simson mopeds and drawn large crowds of supporters. A rising star in his party, the 35-year-old was recently labeled “Germany’s most dangerous man” by Der Spiegel.

Should the AfD come out ahead in this Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt, as polls predict, Siegmund could become the first far-right head of a German state government in the postwar era.

Among those watching the election with alarm is Dennis Baum, the US-based heir and spokesperson for the Simson family.

Baum’s uncles, Arthur and Julius Simson, were the last Jewish managing directors of Simson-Werke before the company was expropriated by the Nazis. The family won back exclusive rights to the Simson brand name as part of a partial restitution agreement they reached following German reunification.

In a recent interview with Tagesspiegel, Baum described the AfD as “antisemitic,” saying, “We find any association with the AfD repulsive and an insult to our family name.”

The Baum family’s concerns are not unique: Jewish organizations in Germany have warned for years about the danger the AfD poses to the country’s Jewish community, which has about 100,000 formally affiliated members. As early as 2017, around three dozen Jewish organizations published a statement describing the party as unacceptable to Jewish voters.

Since then, the AfD has become increasingly radicalized. In 2025, Germany’s domestic intelligence service classified the party as right-wing extremist, allowing for intelligence monitoring — a decision the AfD is currently challenging in court.

Despite this, the party has continued to gain support. Last year, it became the largest opposition party and the second-largest party in the German parliament.

The AfD has been particularly successful — and radical — in eastern Germany. Days before the Saxony-Anhalt elections, polls show the AfD holding a commanding lead of around 40%, while the governing CDU trails at just over 20% among the state’s over 2 million population.

No other party has said it would be willing to form a coalition with the AfD. But if several smaller parties fail to pass the 5% threshold required to enter the state........

© The Times of Israel