World
January 3, 2025 12:42
berlin - Elon Musk's recent comments and support for the pro-Russian AfD party in Germany have sparked backlash and controversy.
Elon Musk, the South African entrepreneur, has been receiving mixed reactions in Germany due to his increasing involvement in the country's elections. Known as the world's richest man and an advisor to the re-elected American president Donald Trump, Musk has been openly supporting the pro-Russian opposition party AfD, even openly flirting with their lead candidate.
Initially welcomed with open arms in Germany when he built a giant Tesla factory near Berlin, Musk's reception has soured following undiplomatic remarks about the German president and chancellor. Musk recently referred to President Steinmeier as an 'undemocratic tyrant,' a statement that was far from accurate, given Steinmeier's democratic elections by over 1400 representatives. The German government, headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, holds the decision-making power.
Members of the German government have criticized Musk for disregarding democratic norms. SPD faction leader Katja Mast accused Musk of 'incitement,' while Konstantin von Notz, the parliamentary overseer of secret services, suggested that Musk enjoys destabilizing liberal democracies.
President Steinmeier alluded to external political influences, pointing towards Musk without explicitly naming him in his New Year's speech. The conservative CDU opposition warned against a few super-rich individuals attempting to reshape global politics to evade regulations.
Musk's affinity towards Alice Weidel, the Swiss-based lead candidate of the far-right AfD party, has raised eyebrows. The AfD party advocates for the dismantling of the European Union and prioritizes military neutrality over NATO membership. Musk recently declared AfD as Germany's savior in the face of layoffs, rising costs, and potential recession, though prominent economists caution that Weidel's AfD lacks sound proposals.
Furthermore, several AfD members have faced controversies recently, with a judge from Berlin and three politicians from Saxony arrested for alleged terrorist plots of an armed coup. The party's candidate for the European Parliament, Maximilian Krah, was accused of receiving bribes from Russia, and his assistant, a Chinese spy, was arrested.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz was labeled a 'jester' by Musk, to which the Social Democrat responded calmly, asserting that freedom of speech applies to billionaires as well.