A controversial campaign event by AfD politician Björn Höcke, featuring a Simson moped, has sparked outrage among descendants of the company's Jewish founders due to its historical ties to Nazi appropriation.
The recent campaign tour led by Björn Höcke, a prominent figure from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has reignited tensions in Germany regarding historical memory and appropriation. Höcke rode a Simson moped, a vehicle manufactured by a company that has deep connections to both East German culture and Nazi history. The Simson brand was established in the mid-19th century and gained notoriety in East Germany, becoming an iconic sight on the region's streets. However, its history is marred by the appropriation of the company from its Jewish owners, Arthur and Julius Simson, by the Nazi regime in 1935 under racially discriminatory laws.
This politicization of the Simson name has drawn strong condemnation from Dennis Baum, a descendant of the Simson family. At 81 years old, Baum expressed his outrage upon learning about Höcke’s summertime moped tour and the AfD’s use of the Simson name in a political context. He emphasized the pain the actions of Höcke and the AfD have caused, directly linking it to the injustices faced by the Jewish community during the Nazi era. Baum's reaction highlights the ongoing struggles within Germany to reconcile its past and the sensitivity surrounding the use of symbols and names associated with that history.
The incident exemplifies the broader tensions in contemporary German politics regarding the far-right AfD party and its attempts to connect with Germany's historical narratives. The use of a company with such a fraught history for political campaigning raises questions about the remembrance of victims of the Nazi regime and the continued impact of their legacies on modern society. As the AfD's political strategies unfold, they invite public discourse on the ethics of historical representation in the current political landscape.
