Simson Hype: A GDR Cult Moped and its AfD Problem

Meiningen. The engine roars as a swarm of different colored Simsons glide by on a country road, accompanied by a rapid DJ beat and a retro filter. Each cut of the TikTok video reveals new riders on the iconic DDR-era mopeds, with Ulrich Siegmund in the center, sporting a white shirt and blue Schwalbe helmet. He stands on a stage, declaring, "Let's express what we see here in the East.

We're washing away the political situations. That's why we don't let go of our freedom and the way we live," into the microphone. Applause follows. It seems like a phenomenon peculiar to Western Germany, where the Simsons only became known due to an AfD politician bringing them into the election campaign, after Thuringia's regional leader Mario Voigt (CDU) criticized Höcke for the association, and a spokesperson from the founders' family declared it "repulsive."

In essence, the Simsons have become a political spectacle, rather than just simple East German mopeds. However, the production of these mopeds ceased long ago. Those in need of spare parts cannot avoid MZA – the company that owes Siegmund's rise to fame to his company. But now, it is the very association that will test his success.