Elon Musk made a surprise appearance at a far-right campaign event in Germany where he urged supporters to move beyond their “past guilt”.
Speaking via video link to a hall of around 4,500 Alternative for Germany (AfD) supporters in the central city of Halle, the world’s richest man said: “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”
Mr Musk caused outrage last week after making a gesture at Donald Trump’s inauguration which many compared to a Nazi salute.
At the rally on Saturday he made an apparent reference to Germany’s Nazi past, saying “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents”.
He added: “There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that.”
Speaking in favour of the far-right party, Mr Musk told the crowd: “I’m very excited for the AfD, I think you’re really the best hope for Germany. Fight for a great future for Germany.”
It was the second time in the last two weeks Mr Musk has publicly spoken in support of the anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party, which has been labelled right-wing-extremist by German security services.
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He previously hosted AfD leader Alice Weidel in an interview on X, raising concerns of election meddling.
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Tens of thousands protest against far-right
Meanwhile tens of thousands of anti-far right campaigners protested in Berlin and other German cities on Saturday.
A huge crowd at the capital city’s Brandenburg Gate sang anti-fascist songs and carried banners denouncing the AfD.
It comes after the three-party governing coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed last year.
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The opposition centre-right Union bloc is currently at the top of pre-election polls, followed by the AfD – but mainstream parties have declared they will not work with the far-right party.
Mr Musk’s mounting support for the AfD will likely raise further concerns about election meddling and the surging popularity of the far-right in Germany.
