The tech billionaire supporter of President-elect Donald Trump has written pieces backing the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Summary

Germany accused Elon Musk of trying to influence its February 2024 election by endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) through social media posts and a commentary in Welt am Sonntag.

Musk praised the AfD’s positions on regulation and taxes, calling them Germany’s saviors.

His actions sparked backlash, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz calling it unprecedented interference and SPD leader Saskia Esken vowing to resist influence from wealthy elites.

The Welt editor who published Musk’s piece resigned, while the AfD, polling second, remains shunned by mainstream parties.

      • Mateoto@lemmy.world
        9·
        1 year ago

        The EU has strict content moderation laws that Twitter currently violates, which Elon explicitly ignores. The EU could take actions based on the same principles that Brazil did.

        • pumpkinseedoil@mander.xyz
          2·
          1 year ago

          I doubt it’s election interference when he simply posts his opinion online, if that were to get censored, as much as I’d like to censor Musk, I’d be deeply worried about what else could be censored (especially when the AfD is in power)

          • zergtoshi@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            1 year ago

            Afaiu the AfD are considered Nazis, which just haven’t been banned yet.
            While I do have issues with censorship I see necessary limits of freedom of speech and applying that to Nazis and their allies is very much within these limits in my opinion.
            Inhumanity deserves no forum nor freedom of speech.

            • pumpkinseedoil@mander.xyz
              1·
              1 year ago

              I’m not fully familiar with the AfD but if they were Nazis they’d already be illegal (being a Nazi is illegal in Germany and a few other countries). From what I know they’re just your usual far-right populist pro-russian anti-eu party, which sadly isn’t enough to stop them legally.

              • ceiphas@lemmy.world
                2·
                1 year ago

                The due process to ban the AfD was already started, but won’t conclude before the election