The “completely ordinary guy” who wants less Hitler in schools

When Ulrich Siegmund arrives at an Alternative for Germany campaign rally in Saxony-Anhalt, supporters greet him like a rock star. They crowd around for selfies, pats on the back and handshakes. Then he steps onstage and insists that he is just an ordinary man.

“I have to be honest with you and say: I’m a completely ordinary guy. I won’t be able to talk to everyone here. But I’m not hiding, I’m everywhere, you just have to come and say hello. I’m on your side,” Siegmund tells the crowd.

The 35-year-old is the far-right party’s leading candidate in a state where AfD is well ahead in opinion polls before Sunday’s election. The article portrays him as a polished and highly effective campaigner. He speaks well, knows how to create a sense of belonging and maintains a friendly manner even when mocking opponents. That sets him apart from AfD leader Alice Weidel, who has called political opponents “idiots.”

“

I have to be honest with you and say: I’m a completely ordinary guy. I won’t be able to talk to everyone here. But I’m not hiding, I’m everywhere, you just have to come and say hello. I’m on your side.

Siegmund’s ordinary-man image has some basis. He grew up in Tangermünde, a town of about 10,000 people, and initially joined the Christian Democratic Union. He trained as a salesman and founded a perfume company called Berlin duftet. At 18, he tried unsuccessfully to secure a leadership role in the local CDU before switching to AfD at 24.

Local politicians told Der Spiegel that Siegmund was not especially radical at first. They say his rhetoric changed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when he accused German authorities of spreading panic through their measures and became a prominent figure on TikTok. He has since become such a major political star that German media are speculating he may be turning into a problem for the AfD leadership.

“

idiots