WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM AN AFRIKANER
Protesters are shown demonstrating against the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany in Hanover, Germany, on Dec. 2, 2017. American billionaire Elon Musk on Friday tweeted strong support for the party, which has been classified by German authorities as a right-wing extremist group. File Photo by Filip Singer/EPA-EFE
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said "only" the far-right Alternative for Germany party, currently running second in German polls with about 19% support nationwide, can "save" the country.
In a post on his wholly-owned social media platform X, the world's richest man gave the full-throated endorsement for the AfD while reposting a video by Naomi Seibt, a German right-wing social media influencer.
Germans are expected to vote in snap elections on Feb. 23. A conservative coalition headed by the Christian Democratic Union's Friedrich Merz is leading in the polls with about 32%.
"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote over Seibt's video, in which she blasts Merz for being "horrified by the idea" that Germany should follow the examples of Musk and Argentine President Javier Milei in espousing right-wing populism.
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Protesters are shown demonstrating against the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany in Hanover, Germany, on Dec. 2, 2017. American billionaire Elon Musk on Friday tweeted strong support for the party, which has been classified by German authorities as a right-wing extremist group. File Photo by Filip Singer/EPA-EFE
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said "only" the far-right Alternative for Germany party, currently running second in German polls with about 19% support nationwide, can "save" the country.
In a post on his wholly-owned social media platform X, the world's richest man gave the full-throated endorsement for the AfD while reposting a video by Naomi Seibt, a German right-wing social media influencer.
Germans are expected to vote in snap elections on Feb. 23. A conservative coalition headed by the Christian Democratic Union's Friedrich Merz is leading in the polls with about 32%.
"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote over Seibt's video, in which she blasts Merz for being "horrified by the idea" that Germany should follow the examples of Musk and Argentine President Javier Milei in espousing right-wing populism.
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Merz "staunchly rejects a pro-freedom approach and refuses any discussion with the AfD," Seibt wrote.
Friday's post is not the first time Musk has expressed support for the AfD, which is classified by German domestic intelligence authorities as a suspected right-wing extremist party.
In June, the close adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wrote that he did not view the AfD as an extremist organization. Those remarks came after reports circulated that AfD representatives met with extremist groups in which they discussed the mass expulsion or "remigration" of foreigners and Germans with migrant backgrounds.
The AfD quickly amplified Musk's statement on Friday.
"If you also want to save Germany, then join in and fill out the membership application right away," the party posted on X, while AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote in English to Musk, "You are absolutely right," and blasted what she called the "Soviet European Union" and labeled former conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel a "socialist."
Musk's intervention into German politics elicited a cautious reaction from the lame-duck government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who told reporters in Berlin that while freedom of speech applies to billionaires such as him, that freedom "also means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice."
Harsher criticism came from other German political figures.
Matthias Miersch, secretary general of Scholz's Social Democrats, called the remarks "election interference," telling the news portal T-Online Musk's remarks are an "alarming signal" and declared, "We are clearly opposed to that. Germany needs neither foreign influences nor Trumpism. Stay out, Elon."
The head of the CDU's workers' wing, Dennis Radtke, told the German newspaper Handelsblatt it is "threatening, irritating and unacceptable that a key figure in the future U.S. government is interfering in the German election campaign," adding that Musk is becoming more and more of a "threat to democracy in the Western world" and has "converted X into a disinformation machine."
Merz "staunchly rejects a pro-freedom approach and refuses any discussion with the AfD," Seibt wrote.
Friday's post is not the first time Musk has expressed support for the AfD, which is classified by German domestic intelligence authorities as a suspected right-wing extremist party.
In June, the close adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wrote that he did not view the AfD as an extremist organization. Those remarks came after reports circulated that AfD representatives met with extremist groups in which they discussed the mass expulsion or "remigration" of foreigners and Germans with migrant backgrounds.
The AfD quickly amplified Musk's statement on Friday.
"If you also want to save Germany, then join in and fill out the membership application right away," the party posted on X, while AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote in English to Musk, "You are absolutely right," and blasted what she called the "Soviet European Union" and labeled former conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel a "socialist."
Musk's intervention into German politics elicited a cautious reaction from the lame-duck government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who told reporters in Berlin that while freedom of speech applies to billionaires such as him, that freedom "also means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice."
Harsher criticism came from other German political figures.
Matthias Miersch, secretary general of Scholz's Social Democrats, called the remarks "election interference," telling the news portal T-Online Musk's remarks are an "alarming signal" and declared, "We are clearly opposed to that. Germany needs neither foreign influences nor Trumpism. Stay out, Elon."
The head of the CDU's workers' wing, Dennis Radtke, told the German newspaper Handelsblatt it is "threatening, irritating and unacceptable that a key figure in the future U.S. government is interfering in the German election campaign," adding that Musk is becoming more and more of a "threat to democracy in the Western world" and has "converted X into a disinformation machine."
Anger after Musk backs German far right
By AFP
December 20, 2024
Elon Musk has weighed in on German politics again on his platform X - Copyright AFP ULISES RUIZ
Sam Reeves
A post from Elon Musk on his platform X claiming that only the far-right AfD party can “save Germany” sparked accusations Friday that he was seeking to interfere in the country’s upcoming election.
The billionaire, set to play a key role in US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration as “efficiency czar”, posted the message over a video commentary about the leader of Germany’s centre-right CDU party Friedrich Merz.
The video criticised Merz, on course to become the next chancellor after February elections according to polls, for his refusal to work with the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), currently polling in second place.
The German government was at pains to avoid any strong comment, but lawmakers from across mainstream parties, which have all ruled out cooperating with the AfD, reacted with outrage to Musk’s comment.
“It is threatening, irritating and unacceptable for a key figure in the future US government to interfere in the German election campaign,” Dennis Radtke, an MEP for the centre-right CDU, told the Handelsblatt daily.
Germans are set to go to the polls on February 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition last month in a row over the budget.
Radtke called Musk a “threat to democracy in the Western world”, accusing the world’s richest man of turning X, previously called Twitter, into a “disinformation slingshot”.
Alex Schaefer, a lawmaker from Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats, said Musk’s post was “completely unacceptable”.
“We are very close to the Americans, but now bravery is required towards our friend. We object to interference in our election campaign,” Schaefer told the Tagesspiegel daily.
Former finance minister Christian Lindner, from the pro-business FDP party, said that some of Musk’s ideas had “inspired” him but urged the Tesla boss not to “rush to conclusions from afar”.
“While migration control is crucial for Germany, the AfD stands against freedom, business — and it’s a far-right extremist party,” tweeted the politician, whose fallout with Scholz triggered the coalition’s implosion.
Scholz himself was restrained when asked about Musk’s comments, noting: “We have freedom of expression, which also applies to multi-billionaires”.
He added that this “means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice”.
– Musk meddling concerns –
For its part, the AfD warmly welcomed Musk’s praise with co-leader Alice Weidel thanking him in a video message, and saying her party was “the one and only alternative for our country”.
At a regular press conference in Berlin, a government spokesman avoided commenting directly on Musk’s post, reiterating Scholz’s point that Germany respects freedom of expression.
But she added the government was worried about “how X has developed in recent years, especially since Elon Musk took over”.
Despite such concerns, the government had decided not to close its accounts on the platform as it remained an important channel for reaching out to people, she said.
It is not the first time Musk has weighed in on German politics.
Last month he tweeted in German that “Olaf is a fool” after the collapse of Scholz’s government — with the chancellor responding that the comments were “not very friendly”.
And last year Musk said Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean could be seen as an “invasion” of Italy.
Tesla has a factory outside Berlin, and Musk visited Germany ahead of the last national elections in 2021, meeting with Armin Laschet, who was then the candidate for the CDU/CSU bloc to become chancellor.
Laschet went on to lead the conservatives to their worst-ever results at the polls.
There have also been concerns in Britain that Musk is taking a close interest in the country’s political scene, appearing to cosy up to hard-right firebrand lawmaker Nigel Farage.
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