QUEDLINBURG, Germany, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The sound of thousands of engines filled the festival grounds of the medieval German village of Quedlinburg on Sunday as Ulrich Siegmund, the far-right AfD's charismatic candidate in a key vote next month, led out a motorcade atop a blue moped.
Nearly 5,000 people turned out for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign event-cum-motorcycle show ahead of elections in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, in which it could become the first far-right party to take power at a state level since the Nazi era.
The AfD has seized onto "the Vespa of East Germany," the beloved Simson brand, to appeal to the strong sense of East German identity that lingers 35 years after reunification, even as a significant number of young people, including Siegmund, never experienced a divided Germany themselves.
SIMSON BRINGS BACK POSITIVE MEMORIES
"My parents instilled in me an understanding of everything that happened back then. Not everything was wonderful," the 35-year-old Siegmund told the crowd on Sunday.
"But this Simson culture represents individual freedom of movement. It stands for a time when we in this country stuck together," he said.
The AfD's manifesto "Vision 2026" argues that eastern Germany should be seen as a model for the rest of the country rather than a disadvantaged region.
Based on the 2025 federal election, their strategy is working. Among Saxony-Anhalt voters aged roughly 18-34, AfD support rose to 40% from about 25% in the previous election in 2021.
Julian, who declined to give his last name, said it was great the AfD was organising meet-ups for fans.
"If someone else had done it, we obviously wouldn't have taken part," said the 24-year-old from the neighbouring eastern German state of Thuringia who, along with his brother, attended Sunday's event with his green Simson motorcycle.
BRAND WITH HISTORY
The Simson companybegan as a weapons manufacturer run by two Jewish brothers in the mid-19th century whose family was forced to flee as the Nazis rose to power.
After World War Two and the separation of Germany, the company focused on motorcycles and mopeds, with their distinctive Schwalbe, known as the "Vespa of East Germany," and sporty S50 becoming particularly popular models with young people by letting them bypass the often years-long waiting period for cars.
The Simson family, who now live in the United States, have publicly criticised the AfD's use of their namesake.
"The threats against immigrants, people of other skin colours and sexual minorities are something we want no part of," said descendent and family spokesperson Dennis Baum at an anti-AfD rally in Germany last month.
The AfD has rejected allegations of racism, saying it just wants stricter controls over immigration.
The Center for Intercultural Understanding Dresden (ZVID) is running an online petition with nearly 24,000 signatories calling on the current trademark holder to protect the brand's reputation by sending a cease-and-desist letter to the AfD.
Roughly 100 counter-demonstrators at Sunday's event were cordoned off by police in a lot whose view of the grounds was obscured by trees and throngs of supporters.
ROOTS OF EAST GERMAN IDENTITY
East German identity emerged mainly after reunification, shaped by the experience of adapting to West German political, economic and cultural structures and by feelings of disadvantage, according to sociologist Daniel Kubiak from the Humboldt University of Berlin.
This shared feeling of structural disadvantage and unequal opportunities, which young people learned through their parents' experiences, has often been neglected by mainstream politics, creating space for the AfD to appeal to eastern voters through identity politics, he added.
While eastern Germany has largely caught up in terms of living standards, many young people still report concerns about financial security: A 2024 government-commissioned survey found 67% of respondents from the east considered it most important, versus 62% of their western peers.
However, Kubiak described the AfD's version of East German identity as vague and inconsistent, arguing the party mainly uses feelings of devaluation and marginalisation to mobilise support rather than offering a coherent East German identity.
"The AfD's identity narrative can always adapt very well to where they are," he said.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
