Elon Musk departs the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill wherever President-elect Donald Trump spoke to House Republicans connected November 13, 2024 successful Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura | Getty Images
U.S. billionaire Elon Musk backed Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) successful a impermanent sentiment portion for Germany's Welt americium Sonntag paper published online connected Saturday that prompted the commentary exertion to resign successful protest.
In the commentary, published successful German by the flagship insubstantial of the Axel Springer media group, Musk expanded connected his station connected societal media level X past week claiming that "only the AfD tin prevention Germany."
"The portrayal of the AfD arsenic right-wing extremist is intelligibly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party's leader, has a same-sex spouse from Sri Lanka! Does that dependable similar Hitler to you? Please!" Musk said successful the piece.
Germany's home quality bureau has classified the AfD astatine the nationalist level arsenic a suspected extremism lawsuit since 2021.
Shortly aft the portion was published online, the exertion of the sentiment section, Eva Marie Kogel, wrote connected X that she had submitted her resignation, with a nexus to the commentary.
"Democracy and journalism thrive connected state 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 implicit arsenic steadfast connected Jan. 1, told Reuters.
Alexander Gauland of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) speaks during his predetermination code arsenic co-chairman during the AfD national legislature astatine the Hannover Congress Centrum (HCC) connected December 2, 2017 successful Hanover, Germany.
Alexander Koerner | Getty Images
They said treatment astir Musk's piece, which had astir 340 comments respective hours aft it was published, was "very revealing."
Underneath Musk's commentary, the paper published a effect by Burgard.
"Musk's diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that lone the AfD tin prevention Germany, is fatally false," helium wrote, referencing the AfD's tendency to permission the European Union and question rapprochement with Russia arsenic good arsenic appease China.
The AfD backing from Musk, who besides defended his close to measurement successful connected German authorities owed to his "significant investments," comes arsenic Germans are acceptable to ballot connected Feb. 23 aft a conjugation authorities led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.
The AfD is moving 2nd successful sentiment polls and mightiness beryllium capable to thwart either a centre-right oregon centre-left majority, but Germany's mainstream, much centrist parties person pledged to shun immoderate enactment from the AfD astatine nationalist level.
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