Tech billionaire Elon Musk once again backed Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Saturday, in an opinion piece he penned in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
What Musk said
Musk echoed his post on X a week back where he had said that only AfD could save Germany. In the op-ed, he called the Alternative for Germany (Afd) the “last spark of hope” for the country.
“The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk wrote.
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,” said Musk.
Reactions to Musk’s piece
The op-ed written by Musk drew sharp reactions from across the country as Germany is only seven weeks away from a snap federal election.
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.
Musk’s support for the AfD has shaken Berlin, with some lawmakers accusing the SpaceX chief of meddling in German politics.
Former health minister Jens Spahn criticized Elon Musk’s comments on the AfD, pointing out that the party wants to leave NATO, reactivate Nord Stream 2, and shift Germany’s focus from the US to Russia. Spahn also highlighted the AfD’s opposition to the Tesla factory in Grünheide.
Counter op-ed
Jan Philipp Burgard, the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, disagreed with Musk’s statements in his own op-ed, published alongside Musk’s. Burgard argued, “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his solution—that only the AfD can save Germany—is fatally wrong.”
Other Welt journalists also expressed their disapproval of X.
In 2021, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency labelled the AfD a suspected extremist organisation at the national level.
Germany is set for a snap election on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government collapsed last month.