Elon Musk made a surprise appearance at a rally for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, where he voiced support for the party and criticized Germany's focus on past guilt over Nazi crimes. His remarks, made just days after a projection of him making a gesture resembling a Nazi salute, have sparked widespread condemnation.
Elon Musk made an unexpected video appearance at a campaign rally for Germany 's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Saturday. Addressing a crowd of approximately 4,500 AfD supporters, Musk stated, 'Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents,' seemingly alluding to Nazi Germany just two days before Holocaust Remembrance Day .
The AfD, a party which Musk has previously expressed support for, has been classified as a suspected extremist organization by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. Musk asserted, 'There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,' while also declaring the anti-immigration, anti-cultural integration party 'the best hope for Germany.' He further emphasized, 'It's good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.' Musk, a vocal ally and advisor to former President Trump, made these remarks shortly after police in Germany initiated an investigation into the projection of large-scale images of Musk making a gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute onto a Tesla factory outside Berlin. Musk had performed this gesture twice at President Trump's inauguration event earlier that week. A U.K. campaign group and a German satirical group have claimed responsibility for the projections.Any display of Nazi symbols is illegal in Germany. Though Musk has not explicitly denied making a Nazi salute, he dismissed criticism of the gestures on X, stating, 'Frankly they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Musk, characterizing him as a friend of the Jewish people and dismissing the criticism as a 'false smear.' In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors antisemitism, labeled Musk's actions an 'awkward gesture' but asserted that it was 'not a Nazi salute.' In 2023, Musk threatened to sue the ADL for defamation after the organization alleged his X platform was facilitating the spread of antisemitism. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking a day before his nation welcomed survivors and foreign dignitaries for a memorial service commemorating 80 years since the liberation of the infamous Auschwitz Nazi death camp, condemned Musk's weekend remarks at the AfD gathering. 'The words we heard from the main actors of the AfD rally about 'Great Germany' and 'the need to forget German guilt for Nazi crimes' sounded all too familiar and ominous,' Tusk stated on social media Sunday. 'Especially only hours before the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.' On Monday, during the solemn memorial service at Auschwitz, Tusk reiterated, 'The whole world should hear once more those words: NEVER AGAIN! We must not forget the tragic lesson of our past. Evil, violence and contempt cannot triumph anew. Under any circumstances!' The German government anticipates a snap election in February, following Chancellor Olaf Scholz's loss of a vote of confidence and the dissolution of his governing coalition. The AfD, which recently became the first far-right party to win a state election since the Nazi era, has experienced a substantial surge in support. Following Musk's remarks on Saturday, Alice Weidel, the leader of the AfD, expressed gratitude and told the crowd, 'Let's make Germany great again.' Late last year, the German government accused Musk of attempting to influence the country's February elections when he published an op-ed in a local newspaper endorsing the AfD. 'It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election,' a government spokesperson stated on social media at the time. However, the spokesperson emphasized Musk's right to express his views, adding, 'After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense.'
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