By World News Research

On the heels of the backlash to his gestures at a Donald Trump inauguration event and him performing a Nazi salute, Elon Musk told supporters of Germany’s far-right party on Saturday that there is “too much of a focus on past guilt.”

Speaking virtually at an Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign event in eastern Germany, the Tesla CEO said people should “take pride” in German culture and values “and not lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”

“ I think there’s, frankly, too much of a focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that. Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents ... let alone their great-grandparents, maybe even,” Musk said, in an apparent reference to Germany’s Nazi past.

Musk has voiced his support for the far-right, in recent months as he seeks to assert his influence on Germany’s upcoming elections. In the past week, he has faced a deluge of criticism in the U.S. and across Europe for a straight-arm gesture resembling a Nazi salute that he made, twice, while speaking at a Trump inauguration event on Monday.

Conservative parties and far-right AfD lead in polls, with CDU’s Friedrich Merz likely to become chancellor

From left to right: Friedrich Merz, Alice Weidel, Olaf Scholz and Sahra Wagenknecht

Musk, who has a history of aligning himself with far-right figures and promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, suggested that the backlash to his Nazi salute; “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he wrote in a post on X.

In his speech Saturday, Musk said he was “very excited” for the AfD. “I think you are the best hope for Germany,” he told the crowd to cheers.

 

What Happened

Musk, who appeared virtually at the campaign event in Halle, Germany, urged AfD’s candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel, and her supporters not to lose their national pride: “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”

The Tesla CEO said he hoped Weidel would become Germany’s chancellor after an election on Feb. 23, as Musk suggested the country suffered from “too much bureaucracy” from the European Union.

Musk appeared to reference Germany’s Nazi past, saying he believed there is “too much focus on past guilt” and “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents.”

Weidel applauded Musk for his support and echoed President Donald Trump’s slogan by saying she would “Make Germany great again.”

 

Crucial Quote

“The future of civilization could hang in this election,” Musk told the crowd of roughly 4,500 people, later adding, “I’m very excited for the AfD, I think you’re the best hope for the future of Germany.”

 

 Key Background

Musk has backed Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland party and defended Weidel for weeks. He penned an opinion piece in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper in December, disputing characterizations of the AfD as “right-wing extremist” while citing Weidel being gay, suggesting, “Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk also accused Germany of becoming “comfortable with mediocrity” and claimed AfD would “save Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self.” Weidel spoke with Musk during a livestream on X earlier this month, during which Musk continued to praise Weidel while supporting her anti-immigration policies. The AfD party reportedly trails the Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, in polls for Germany’s federal election in February.

- Musk disputed characterizations of the AfD as “right-wing extremist,” citing the fact that the party’s leader, Alice Weidel, is gay, writing “Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!”Musk penned the opinion piece in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper after writing on X last week that “only the AfD can save Germany,” sparking widespread backlash, with conservative writer and frequent Trump critic Bill Kristol accusing Musk of endorsing a “German neo-Nazi party.”

- In the newspaper piece, Musk accused Germany’s traditional political parties of becoming “comfortable with mediocrity,” including economic decline, writing that “the AfD can save Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self.”

- The Tesla founder—who has also expressed support for anti-immigrant political parties in the UK and Italy—said that he had the right to wade into German politics because he has business there, including a Tesla gigafactory in Brandenburg.

- Commentary section editor Eva Marie Kogel resigned in protest after the piece was published, while the paper’s editor-in-chief designate, Philipp Bugard published a response that said “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally false.”

- Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classifies the AfD as suspected extremism and has the party under surveillance for the potential threats it poses.

 

Tangent

Vice President-elect JD Vance has also expressed support for the AfD, responding sarcastically to posts on X criticizing the party’s hardline immigration stance as dangerous, writing on Dec. 21 “It’s so dangerous for people to control their borders. So so dangerous. The dangerous level is off the charts.”

 

 

For updates click hompage here