Dennis Baum, the spokesman and heir to the Simson industrial family, is strongly opposing the appropriation of the Simson moped brand by the AfD ahead of the upcoming elections in Eastern Germany. Speaking to the “Tagesspiegel’s” podcast “Im Osten,” Baum stated that the family finds any association with the AfD repulsive and offensive to their name. He demanded that the party destroy all banners, T-shirts, and promotional materials that misuse the Simson name.
Baum noted that he had already discussed this matter with Gesa, the successor organization to the Treuhandanstalt, which managed the Simson factories in Suhl after the fall of the Berlin Wall and still holds the name rights. While Baum affirmed that there was no issue with the general use of the Simson brand or the Schwalbe moped-which was a DDR product-he stressed that a line had been crossed when their name was linked to a policy of exclusion. He called such actions an insult to their family history.
As an investment banker living in New York, Baum is a descendant of the Simson family. His ancestors once owned the Simson factory in Suhl, where weapons and cars were produced. Tragically, the Jewish family was stripped of their property by the Nazis during a show trial and subsequently expelled from Germany. During the GDR era, the factory produced Simson moped models, such as the Schwalbe, which today holds a significant cultural following in Eastern Germany. These old mopeds are increasingly being utilized by the AfD to promote a sense of new Eastern identity.
Baum views the AfD, which plans to hold a regional party conference in Erfurt amidst protests, as a threat. He asserted that Party leader Björn Höcke and his party are antisemitic, stating that Höcke disrespects the memory of Nazi crimes. Furthermore, Baum claimed the AfD discriminates against groups that are migrant or based on sexual orientation. He described Höcke as a friend to dictators globally, including those threatening Europe.
In the coming days, Baum announced plans to travel to Germany to raise public awareness, particularly among young people. He intends to speak at a democracy festival on the outskirts of the AfD’s conference in Erfurt and will also visit the original production sites in Suhl. “I want people to understand what happened to our family so that we do not end up in such a situation again,” Baum said. “Antisemitism is growing, and the AfD is dangerous. We must not tolerate the party’s far-right agenda and its rhetoric of hatred.”
Regarding the fate of the Suhl industrial complex, Baum explained that after the fall of the Wall, there were attempts to take over the factory that produced hunting and sporting weapons. However, the Treuhand blocked these initiatives. In 1994, they were told that an Amsterdam-based company had submitted a superior offer, only for it to be later discovered that they had paid nothing. The factory went bankrupt and shut down a year later.
Two decades later, Baum contacted representatives of the former Treuhandanstalt to question why they had rejected the Simson family back then. They replied that they were under immense pressure to privatize state-owned property within five years and lacked time for thorough research. Today, the factory halls in Suhl stand empty. The Simson heir concluded, “The works present a sad image. I feel sorrow for all the people who lost their jobs.”
