Freedom-of-expression privileges should not be used to promote extreme-right views, says German Chancellor
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has again lashed out at US billionaire Elon Musk, stating that freedom of speech should not be used for promotion of extreme-right views.
Scholz made the remarks on Tuesday in Davos when asked to comment on the incident with Musk’s controversial hand gesture during US President Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration on the previous day.
”We have freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany. Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire,” Scholz said, as quoted by Reuters, stressing nonetheless that “What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions.”
Musk was accused of performing a Nazi salute while addressing Trump supporters at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Monday. The billionaire, who said that Trump’s November 5 election win was “no ordinary victory” but a “fork in the road of human civilization,” then thanked the audience “for making it happen,” placing his right hand over his heart and raising it upward at an angle, palm down and fingers held together. He repeated the gesture once again, turning to the spectators behind him, with the words “My heart goes out to you.”
The incident sparked an uproar, with Musk later brushing off the allegations as malicious, saying his detractors “need better dirty tricks” and that “the ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Scholz has previously criticized Musk publicly, calling him a threat to the EU and to democracy over what he then also described as the US billionaire’s support for the “far-right.”
In December, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO called the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) the only party capable of “saving Germany” and praised its anti-immigration stance, while calling Scholz an “incompetent fool.”
Earlier this month, Musk hosted a livestream with AfD co-chair Alice Weidel on his social media platform X, reiterating that “only AfD can save Germany.”
The German leader hit back by saying Musk is seeking attention online, urging people to not “feed the troll.”
He has described the businessman’s actions as “completely unacceptable,” claiming that Musk “supports the extreme right throughout Europe, in Britain, in Germany, in many, many other countries.”
Musk’s livestream with Weidel was closely scrutinized by the EU, which deployed around 150 tech specialists and officials to monitor the event, claiming that it could give an “unfair advantage” to the AfD ahead of Germany’s snap elections, scheduled for late February. The party is currently polling second, with around 20% of public support.
The interview has also prompted backlash from German institutions, with dozens of universities and research institutes announcing their departure from X, citing “increasing radicalization” on the platform.