Elon Musk supports the AfD party in an opinion piece published in a German newspaper
US billionaire Elon Musk endorsed Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) in an opinion piece for German newspaper Welt am Sonntag published online on Saturday, prompting the editor of the commentary to resign in protest, Reuters writes.
Elon Musk supports the AfD party in an opinion piece published in a German newspaper
In the comment published in German by media group Axel Springer’s newspaper, Musk built on his post on social media platform X from last week, saying that “only the AfD can save Germany.”
“The portrayal of the AfD as a right-wing extremist is clearly false, given that Alice Weidel, the leader of the party, has a Sri Lankan same-sex partner! Do you think he looks like Hitler? Please!” Musk said in the article.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classified the AfD nationally as a case of suspected extremism as early as 2021.
Shortly after the text was published online, the editor of the opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, wrote on X that she had submitted her resignation, with a link to the commentary.
“Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression. This includes addressing polarizing positions and their journalistic classification,” the paper’s designated editor-in-chief, Jan Philipp Burgard, and Ulf Poschardt, who takes over as editor on January 1, told Reuters.
They said the discussion on Musk’s article, which had about 340 comments within hours of it being published, was “very revealing.”
Under Musk’s comment, the newspaper published a response from Burgard.
“Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach that only the AfD can save Germany is fatally false,” he wrote, referring to the AfD’s desire to leave the European Union and seek rapprochement with Russia, as well as to appease China.
The backing of the AfD by Musk, who has also defended his right to intervene in German politics due to his “significant investments”, comes as Germans go to the polls on February 23 after the collapse of the coalition government led by the chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Source: www.mediafax.ro
