Tech billionaire on Saturday restated his backing for far-right ), calling the party the “last spark of hope” for the country, in an op-ed published by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
His remarks triggered anger among German politicians, with the country six weeks away from a .
Shortly after the piece went online, the editor of the opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, wrote on X that she had submitted her resignation, with a link to the commentary.
What did Elon Musk say?
Musk used his commentary to expand on his post on last week claiming that “only [the] AfD can save Germany.” In the editorial, he said the far-right party was the “last spark of hope” for the country.
“The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that , the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk said in the piece.
In 2021, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classified the AfD at the national level as a suspected extremist organization.
Musk went on to claim that the AfD adopts strong positions on issues relating to economic recovery, energy supply and migration control.
“The AfD, even though it is described as far-right, represents a political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel that their concerns are ignored by the establishment. It addresses the problems of the moment — without the political correctness that often obscures the truth,” the tech billionaire continued.
Musk also said the AfD was “committed to a controlled immigration policy that gives priority to integration and the preservation of German culture and security. This is not about xenophobia, but about ensuring that Germany does not lose its identity in the pursuit of globalization.”
Welt am Sonntag reporters shoot back at Musk op-ed
The future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard, contradicted the billionaire’s statements in his own op-ed, posted next to Musk’s.
Burgard said: “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong.”
Other Welt journalists also posted their disapproval publicly on X.
Musk’s comments seen as timed for snap election
Musk’s backing of the AfD has sent shockwaves through Berlin, with some lawmakers this week accusing the SpaceX chief of in .
On Saturday, former health minister and a lawmaker for the center-right CDU party, Jens Spahn, wrote on X:
“Elon Musk says, look beyond the labels of the AfD. Now, let’s do it then: The AfD wants to leave NATO, reactivate Nord Stream 2, and is anti-US, pro-Putin and pro-Russia. Is that what the USA wants? A Germany that turns towards Russia and away from the USA? The AfD wants to , our by far largest trading partner. We conduct ~40% of our trade within Eurozone. Without the Euro and the EU, the German economy would completely collapse.”
Spahn said the AfD had also been against the construction of the Tesla factory in Grünheide.
Break-up of ruling coalition triggers early elections
Germany is set for a snap election on February 23 after the coalition government led by Chancellor collapsed last month.
The three parties in the coalition had disagreed for more than a year on major policy issues, including the 2025 budget.
The AfD is now running second in opinion polls with around 19% support, behind the conservative CDU/CSU alliance with more than 30%.
However, Germany’s mainstream parties have all ruled out working with AfD at the national level.
mm/dj (AFP, DPA)
The post Elon Musk backs far-right AfD in German op-ed appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
