German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed concern over party, weeks before the nation’s
Scholz, in an interview to “Stern” magazine published on Saturday, said that while he was not fazed by the US tech billionaire’s attacks on him and other German politicians, Musk’s endorsement of the far-right party was much more worrying.
“Far more concerning than such insults is the fact that supports a partly far-right party like the AfD, which and seeks to weaken trans-Atlantic relations,” the chancellor told the German magazine.
Musk to hold live talk with AfD’s Alice Weidel on X
published recently in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
domestic intelligence agency is monitoring the as a suspected right-wing extremist organization. Some state-level branches of the AfD have already received that designation.
The party has made and has nearly doubled its popularity measured in opinion polls to around 20%, in the runup to the snap elections due on February 23.
Musk is expected to hold a live talk with AfD leader Alice Weidel on X Spaces on January 9.
Scholz on Musk’s attacks: ‘stay cool’
Musk, a top advisor to US President-elect , on his for days now.
He called Scholz a “fool” and President
Scholz said that insults from rich media tycoons were par for the course.
“As Social Democrats, we have been accustomed since the penultimate century to wealthy media entrepreneurs who do not appreciate social democratic politics — and are not shy about expressing their opinions,” Scholz told “Stern,” in reference to his center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).
While their voices have a larger reach as media evolves, the situation is not new, the chancellor said. “One must remain cool,” he said as several
Musk, in 2022, had made a personal request to Scholz over a phone call regarding the federal government’s plans to subsidize electric charging stations across the country. Tesla, owned by Musk, operates its own system of charging stations in Germany.
“It is no secret that Tesla was against the government funding for electric charging stations in Germany,” the chancellor said, suggesting Musk’s comments stem from business dissatisfaction.
Habeck says comments ‘frontal attack on democracy’
German Vice Chancellor had sharper words for Musk.
“Hands off our democracy, Mr. Musk!” Habeck told German news magazine “Spiegel” when asked whether Musk was a threat to Germany. He criticized Musk’s outspoken support for the far-right AfD.
Habeck said the billionaire, who is expected to have a prominent role in the upcoming US government, is doing whatever he can to push his own interests.
“The combination of immense wealth, control over information and networks, the use of artificial intelligence and the will to ignore rules is a frontal attack on our democracy,” the vice chancellor said.
He further described Musk’s recent article endoring the AfD as “awful” and warned that his attempts to influence must not be underestimated.
“The richest man in the world, who owns one of the most powerful communication platforms, openly supports a party that is partly right-wing extremist. We should not make the mistake of dismissing this,” he said.
mk/wd (dpa)
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