Holocaust memorial chair: Musk's call for Germany to 'move beyond' Nazi guilt is dangerous
The chair of Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, said Sunday tech billionaire Elon Musk’s call for Germans to “move beyond” the crimes of Nazi Germany is dangerous for the country’s democratic future.
“Contrary to @elonmusk advice, the remembrance and acknowledgement of the dark past of the country and its people should be central in shaping the German society,” Chair Dani Dayan said in a post on the social platform X, which Musk owns.
“Failing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany,” Dayan continued.
Dayan’s post came in response to a video of Musk’s virtual address on Saturday to a far-right German political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD). In his remarks, Musk reiterated his support for AfD, told Germans they should be proud of their heritage and said they should “move beyond” the “past guilt” of older generations.
“First of all, I wanted to really say that I’m very excited for the AfD, and I think you are really the best hope for Germany,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said in his remarks.
“Something I think that is just very important is that people take pride in Germany and being German. This is very important,” Musk continued. “It’s, you know, it’s OK to be proud to be German. This is a very important principle.”
Musk said German children should not bear the responsibility for crimes past generations committed, an apparent reference to the Holocaust and crimes committed by the Nazi Party.
“I think there’s, like, frankly, too much of a focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,” Musk said. “Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents or even let alone their parents, their great grandparents, maybe even.”
Musk, the richest man in the world and the leader of President Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, has raised eyebrows in recent weeks with his embrace of far-right political parties in Europe, including the AfD.
The remarks Saturday also come after Musk faced backlash for making a controversial gesture during his post-inauguration speech on Monday that some critics compared to a fascist salute.
In the face of the backlash, Musk seemed to dismiss the concerns in a social media post that was filled with puns based on the names of some of the Nazis’ most infamous leaders.