‘An insult to our name’: AfD urged to stop using Simson mopeds at events

The Jewish descendants of a German motorbike manufacturer that was forced by the Nazis to be relinquished have voiced their repulsion at the appropriation of the vehicle by far-right populists.Members of the family, whose ancestors were forced to flee Germany in the 1930s, say they consider the use of the bike’s name by the anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) as a “mockery of our history”.The origins of the Simson moped go back to 1856, when brothers Löb and Moses Simson founded the company in Suhl, Thuringia – now an AfD stronghold.It was the most popular form of two-wheel mobility during communism, when cars were hard to come by. It gave many teenagers in particular their first taste of freedom.Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the moped has increasingly become something of a cult lifestyle item in the former communist east, and has been taken advantage of by the AfD.The party’s Thuringia leader, Björn Höcke, is often to be found riding the Simson, accompanied by fans and followers, during activities to promote the party.Höcke has said the “Simson outings” help promote camaraderie among party members. He has teasingly touted it as an alternative form of transport to the cargo bike, often viewed as a mainstay of Green party supporters.At the height of its production during the GDR, up to 200,000 mopeds left the Ernst Thälmann factory in Suhl every year. In total, about 6m mopeds were produced. Today, secondhand models sell for between €2,000 and €4,500. The factory permanently closed in 2002.The AfD has integrated the moped into its election posters and general promotional material, saying it stands for “freedom, independence and individuality”. It has also pressed in several east German state parliaments for the motorcycle to be protected as “intangible cultural heritage”, submitting motions to back its campaign.A spokesperson for the Simson family, who now live in the US, has delivered a plea via German media for the appropriation to cease.“We find any connection with the AfD repulsive and an insult to our name,” Dennis Baum, a descendant speaking on behalf of the rest of the family, told the news agency DPA. “My family and I firmly reject extremist ideologies and will not accept the AfD’s appropriation of our name.”He said the family was offended by the fact that the moped’s name was increasingly viewed as synonymous with a party “which is overwhelmingly extremist”. “The name must not under any circumstances become a symbol of the AfD,” he added.The AfD was classified as “confirmed rightwing extremist” last year by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV). Höcke is described as one of its most extreme high-ranking members. He had actively disseminated far-right extremist ideology, in particular with his use of Nazi language, the agency said.Höcke, a former history teacher, has been repeatedly criticised by his political opponents for calling for a “180-degree turn in the politics of remembrance”, stressing his objection to the way in which Germans are told to remember the crimes of the Nazi era, and calling the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin a “monument of shame”.The Simson family was forced to flee Germany in 1936, escaping to the US after having to sell its business greatly under its value, in what was effectively a transfer to the state.The factory was initially established as a producer of charcoal steel for rifle barrels. It went on to become primarily a manufacturer of weapons, but also developed vehicles, including a racing car, the Simson Supra. During communism it became a state-owned enterprise, and produced mopeds, initially under contract to the Soviet military administration.The AfD has yet to comment.