Elon Musk sparked controversy by defending Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as non-extremist, despite official classification by German intelligence. The billionaire's opinion piece in a German newspaper prompted the resignation of the commentary editor.
US billionaire Elon Musk said the portrayal of AfD as extremist was false, despite Germany 's domestic intelligence agency classifying it as a suspected extremist party since 2021.BERLIN — US billionaire Elon Musk backed Germany 's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a guest opinion piece for Germany 's Welt am Sonntag newspaper published online on Dec 28 that prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest.
In the commentary, published in German by the flagship paper of the Axel Springer media group, Musk expanded on his post on social media platform X last week claiming that 'only the AfD can save Germany'. '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 said in the piece. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD at the national level as a suspected extremism case since 2021. Shortly after the piece was published 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. 'Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression. This includes dealing with polarising positions and classifying them journalistically,' the newspaper's editor-in-chief designate Jan Philipp Burgard and Ulf Poschardt, who takes over as publisher on Jan 1, told Reuters. They said discussion about Musk's piece, which had around 340 comments several hours after it was published, was 'very revealing'.'Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally false,' he wrote, referencing the AfD's desire to leave the European Union and seek rapprochement with Russia as well as appease Chin
Elon Musk Afd Germany Political Controversy Extremism
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elon Musk gives nod to German far-right party as election loomsUS billionaire Elon Musk, set to join President-elect Donald Trump's administration as an outside adviser, waded into
Read more »
South Korea’s birth rate catches Elon Musk’s attention, againMr Musk's stand has made him a poster child of the pro-natalist movement.
Read more »
Elon Musk Warns of Global Population CollapseElon Musk, CEO of Tesla and X, has made declining population numbers a personal mission, citing this as a greater risk than global warming. He recently highlighted South Korea's plummeting fertility rates based on World Bank data, attributing the decline to long working hours, low wages, and falling marriage rates.
Read more »
Elon Musk Criticizes DEI Practices, Wants to End 'Wokeness'Elon Musk, sharing his views on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), suggests that these practices can lead to a caricature of historical figures and are racially divisive. He and Vice-President-elect J D Vance are advocating for the dismantling of DEI programs.
Read more »
Australia's PM Open to Discussing Elon Musk's Criticism of Social Media Ban for ChildrenAustralia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shown willingness to discuss Elon Musk's criticism of the recently legislated social media ban for children under 16. The ban, seen as world-leading, restricts minors from accessing major social media platforms and could impact Australia's relationship with the U.S.
Read more »
Elon Musk's xAI Expands Supercomputer to One Million GPUs in MemphisxAI, an artificial intelligence startup led by Elon Musk, is planning a massive expansion of its supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee, to house at least one million graphics processing units (GPUs). This move aims to strengthen its competitive position against rivals such as OpenAI.
Read more »