The editor of Welt am Sonntag resigned in protest of the publication of an article by Elon Musk. In the newspaper, the American billionaire supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfN) party.
A fan of the far-right AfD, Elon Musk, did not limit himself to one post in X in supporting this party. He decided to write an article in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
In his article, Musk criticized German migration, energy and economic policies, calling the promises of the Alternative for Germany party the solution to the country’s problems.
The idea of the AfN as right-wing extremists is clearly wrong, given that party leader Alice Weidel has a Sri Lankan same-sex partner! Does this look like Hitler to you? Stop it! – Musk wrote.
The publication also faced criticism from its own journalists, who called the publication “election advertising disguised as an article.”
In the article, Musk addressed a number of issues that he believes Germany must address as it approaches “economic and cultural collapse.”
According to Musk, the AfD represents the right positions on economic recovery, energy and migration. He believes that the party represents “political realism.”
Musk believes he has the right to speak about the political climate in Germany because he has “made significant investments” in the country’s technology and industrial sectors.
In December, billionaire Elon Musk and adviser to Donald Trump published a series of posts in support of the Alternative for Germany party and called Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “incompetent fool.” He has now written a guest column for Welt am Sonntag.
In it, the world’s richest man writes that Germany is teetering “on the brink of economic and cultural collapse.” He focuses on five points – the economy, immigration, energy, cultural identity and innovation – to describe the ADN as the party that will “save Germany from becoming a shadow of itself.”
Musk also believes that calling the AdN right-wing extremists is “obviously wrong” because the party’s head, Alice Weidel, has a “same-sex partner from Sri Lanka.” “Do you think this looks like Hitler?” Musk asks rhetorically. He then characterizes the AfD as “the last spark of hope for this country.”
In a commentary to the column, WELT editor-in-chief Jan Burgard argues that Musk is right about Germany’s economic and cultural crisis. However, Burgard calls the conclusion that the AfD is the solution “fatally flawed.”
Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction, also criticizes Musk and believes that the “anti-American, pro-Putin and pro-Russian” AdN will harm the United States itself:
What does the US want? Germany, which will return to Russia and turn its back on the United States?
Green Party deputy leader Andreas Audretsch told BILD that tech billionaires like Elon Musk or Chinese state-owned companies are “undermining our democratic discourse with their platforms and big money.”
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.