Concerns Raised After Interview with AfD Leader Alice Weidel: 'Musk and Putin Manipulating German Elections'
11
World
January 11, 2025 11:33
berlin - German citizens express worries over the support of billionaire Elon Musk to the pro-Russian AfD party.
German citizens are expressing concerns over the support of billionaire Elon Musk for the pro-Russian AfD party. Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, who is also an advisor to the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, has caused unease among unions, schools, and sixty universities due to misinformation spread on his platform.
The Germans are worried about Musk pushing the far-right opposition party AfD on the American platform. Conspiracy theorists have unrestricted space there, and opaque algorithms give them extra attention. Musk has reportedly donated 250 million dollars to Trump's election campaign and also supports Nigel Farage's Brexit party Reform UK. Berlin and London are now concerned that Musk is destabilizing other European countries.
The magazine Stern depicted Musk alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the cover, focusing on the manipulation of German elections by the two figures through fake news, cyber warfare, and incitement.
During an interview with AfD leader Alice Weidel, Musk inaccurately claimed that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a socialist. The German government suggested that Weidel should read a history book or attend a lecture. Additionally, Weidel's false claims regarding migration and national-socialism were pointed out by ARD.
In a podcast by journalist Paul Ronzheimer, Musk's support for the nationalist AfD was criticized as using poor arguments. Musk had previously stated in Die Welt that only the AfD can save Germany, which drew attention as it was published under the invitation of Matthias Döpfner, the CEO of the media conglomerate including Bild and Die Welt.
The German TV program highlighted other falsehoods presented by Musk, such as claiming theft in California is legal or that only the AfD protects Jewish life, despite the American Jewish Committee labeling the AfD as an antisemitic party.