Lower thirds:
0:03  Report by | Matthew Moore	
0:42  Johannes Hillje | Political Consultant	
1:13  Johannes Hillje | Political Consultant		
1:57  Ulrich Siegmund | AfD Lead Candidate Saxony-Anhalt

Script:

He's charming, charismatic, and controversial. 

Ulrich Siegmund has been campaigning for months. 

Taking selfies.  

Signing shirts.  
 
Pouring beers. 

Bike rides. 

And making speeches 

+++ Ulrich Siegmund, AfD Leader Saxony-Anhalt +++ 
"Here is where the blue wave will begin in Saxony-Anhalt, and you are a part of it."

He used to sell fragrances.  

Now he’s a rising star of the far-right Alternative for Germany party.  

+++ SOT Johannes Hillje +++ 
"Ulrich Siegmund is what I would call a feel-good populist."

At just 26, Siegmund entered parliament in Saxony-Anhalt — where he was born and raised. 

There, he built a large following on TikTok, complaining about immigration or the media. 

+++ SOT Johannes Hillje +++
"He's always saying it's that we are getting betrayed by the system, by the media. And he is always putting himself on the side of the ordinary people."

In 2024, Siegmund gained national attention after attending a meeting with white nationalist Martin Sellner.  

Participants discussed what they call "remigration", a proposal that includes pressuring so-called “non-assimilated citizens” to leave Germany.  

The reports sparked nationwide protests. 

+++ SOT Johannes Hillje +++
"I think he is a gift to the AfD because he stands behind their radical agenda without presenting himself in a radical way in public."

When AfD lawmakers in Saxony-Anhalt were accused of employing one another's relatives using public funds — Siegmund dismissed the allegations as a media campaign. Yet, the party did set up a commission.  

Siegmund has pledged to crack down on immigration, portraying it as a threat to German identity 
 
He also argues educators should spend less time teaching about Nazi crimes. 

+++ SOT Reporter + Ulrich Siegmund +++

Reporter: Aren't you negating the Holocaust by doing that?  

Siegmund: No.  

Reporter: If you say that we need to learn a more positive history? Kids do that these days.  

Siegmund: We want to explore every aspect of our history. Both the negative and the positive. But we want to have a positive connection to our culture and to ourselves. We are proud of this country. 

From salesman to AfD star – Ulrich Siegmund the man promising radical change with a smile.

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