Elon Musk supports far-right AfD party in Germany through oped piece

Elon Musk, who endorsed Donald Trump's presidential bid in the US election, has also supported far-right political outfits in the UK

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has openly endorsed far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) through a guest opinion piece for the country’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Musk, who endorsed Donald Trump's presidential bid in the US election, has also supported far-right political outfits in the UK and other European countries.

 

Musk's opinion piece appeared in the newspaper on Sunday. The newspaper is published by the the Axel Springer media group, which also owns the US politics news site Politico.

 

The oped prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.

 

What did Elon Musk write in the oped?

 

In the oped, Musk tried to reject AfD’s extremist bent. "The portrayal of the AfD as rightwing extremist is clearly 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!" the translated version of the article read.

 

 

Last week, Musk tweeted in support of AfD, saying "only the AfD can save Germany."

 

Shortly after the oped was published, the editor of the opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, posted on X that she had submitted her resignation.

 

"I always enjoyed heading the opinion department at Welt and Wams. Today a text by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday I submitted my resignation after printing," she posted.

 

What is AfD and its objectives?

 

Founded in 2013, AfD started as an anti-Euro party that opposed the European Union's financial policies, particularly in response to the Eurozone debt crisis. Over time, however, the AfD became more known for its nationalist, anti-immigration, and anti-Islam stances, attracting support from voters who were concerned about globalisation and immigration.

 

The AfD has been accused of harboring extremist elements, with some of its members openly expressing far-right views. The party's rhetoric and policies have been associated with nationalism, xenophobia, and Euroskepticism. 

 

The AfD has also faced criticism for downplaying Germany's Nazi past. For instance, one of its members, Bjorn Hocke, called the Berlin Holocaust memorial a "memorial of shame" and suggested that Germany should take a more positive view of its history. This has led to accusations of revisionism and trivialising the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime.

 

AfD has been classified by the Germany’s domestic intelligence agency as a suspected extremism case since 2021.

 

The AfD was recently in news after the Christmas market attack in Germany's Magdeburg, in which a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia rammed his car into people, killing two and injuring 68. The accused, Taleb A, who identified as an ex-Muslim, was a supporter of the AfD for its anti-immigration stance.

 

Why does Elon Musk support AfD?

 

Musk has often expressed frustration with what he sees as the dominance of political correctness in the political discourse, particularly in Europe. The AfD, with its populist, anti-immigration, and anti-establishment rhetoric, aligns with Musk's broader dissatisfaction with the political mainstream. Musk has stated in the past that he prefers to support "free speech" and challenge political orthodoxy, which might explain his connection to the AfD's controversial stance on issues like immigration and identity.

 

One of the key stances of the AfD is its strong opposition to immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. Musk, while generally a supporter of immigration to the US, has been outspoken on his views about the challenges posed by unchecked immigration policies, particularly in European countries. His statements on this issue suggest that he is critical of the "open-border" policies seen in some European nations, which could explain his resonance with the AfD's anti-immigration platform.

 

By backing AfD, Musk reasons that he has the right to weigh in on German politics due to his "significant investments." His support becomes critical as Germans are set to vote on 23 February, 2025 after the fall of a coalition government led by the German chancellorOlaf Scholz. Notably, the AfD is running second in opinion polls.