Elon Musk's support for Germany's far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has caused a major uproar in the country. Musk backed AfD in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country. It has led to the resignation of the paper's opinion editor in protest. In a guest opinion piece published in German, Welt am Sonntag, a sister publication of POLITICO, owned by the Axel Springer Group, Musk said, " The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country."
Expressing his trust in AfD, Musk said that the party can ensure economic prosperity for Germany, while turning into reality cultural integrity and technological innovation. The American business tycoon also added that his investments in Germany gave him the right to comment on its conditions.
Notably, the AfD is polling strongly in Germany but its leader Alice Weidel might not find support from other parties to cobble together a ruling alliance.
Musk defends AfD
Elon Musk also commented on AfD's public image, saying, "The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing 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!”
Musk's commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper's own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Musk's social media platform, X.
“I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print," Eva Marie Kogel wrote.
Newspaper comes under attack
The newspaper was also attacked by politicians and other media for offering Musk, an outsider, a platform to express his views, in favour of the AfD.
Candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, of the Christian Democratic Union, said Sunday that Musk's comments were “intrusive and presumptuous”.
(With agency inputs)
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