Tech billionaire Elon Musk made a surprise appearance at an Alternative for Germany (AfD) election campaign event in Halle in eastern Germany on Saturday, as thousands of people gathered to show their support for the far-right party.
Speaking to the 4,500-seat auditorium alongside party leader Alice Weidel, Musk spoke of preserving German culture and protecting the German people.
Musk spoke in support of the far-right party, saying: “I am very happy with the AfD, I think it is the best hope for Germany.” What I think is most important is for people to be proud of Germany and being German. This is very important. It’s okay to be proud to be German. This is a very important principle.”
“It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not lose that in some kind of multiculturalism that cleans everything up,” Musk told the audience.
Last week, Musk caused a stir after he made a direct, Nazi-like gesture while speaking at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, he said, “children should not be held responsible for the sins of their parents, let alone their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents,” apparently referring to Germany’s Nazi past.
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“I think it’s really focused on past actions, and we need to move beyond that,” he said.
Musk told the crowd they should be “optimistic” and “excited” about Germany’s future, adding, “I hope your people come together and strongly support the AfD.”
“Let’s go guys! Let’s go! Fight for a better future for Germany, Go, go, go! Show your friends. Convince everyone,” Musk said as the crowd clapped and cheered.
“I think that this upcoming election in Germany is incredibly important. I think it could decide the whole fate of Europe, maybe the fate of the world,” added Musk. “That is the importance of this election. That is why it is so important that you talk to your friends and family and show them that they should consider voting for the AfD. Then just go with it like a chain reaction. Convince one friend, talk to another friend.”
Germany will vote in early elections on Feb. 23 after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapses in November 2024 in a battle over how to revive the country’s faltering economy.
The CEO of Tesla, who spoke about the suppression of speech under the German government on Saturday, has attacked Scholz in X.
Scholz said last Tuesday that he does not support freedom of speech if it is used for inappropriate ideas.
“We have freedom of speech in Europe and Germany. Everyone can say what they want, even if they are a millionaire. And what we don’t accept is that this supports the most appropriate positions,” Scholz said in Davos when asked about Musk’s hand gesture during Trump’s inauguration.
Musk dismissed the criticism as a “tired” attack. “Shame on Oaf Schitz,” Musk wrote on X last Tuesday in a video clip shared by another user that showed Scholz speaking at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in a Swiss resort.
Musk also wrote a guest opinion for Welt am Sonntag – a sister publication of Politico owned by Axel Springer Group – published in German in December 2024.
“Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last glimmer of hope in this country,” Musk wrote in his commentary.
The world’s richest man went on to say that the right-wing group “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just aspirations, but realities.”
Musk also wrote that his investment in Germany gave him the right to comment on the state of the country.
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–In files from Reuters and the Associated Press
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