Elon Musk AfD speech: Billionaire slammed for telling Germans at far-right rally to 'move beyond' Nazi guilt - after controversial salute video

The Tesla CEO and billionaire made the surprise appearance on Saturday (25 January) speaking publicly in support of the far-right party for the second time in as many weeks. Addressing a hall of 4,500 people alongside the party’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, Musk spoke live via video link about preserving German culture and protecting the German people.

He 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. There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that.”

He said “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents”, apparently referring to Germany’s Nazi past. Musk spoke in favour of voting for the far-right party.

He added: “I’m very excited for the AfD, I think you’re really the best hope for Germany’s fight for a great future for Germany”. Weidel thanked him, said the Republicans were making America great again, and called on her supporters to make Germany great again.

The chairman of Israel's official Holocaust memorial has accused Elon Musk of insulting the victims of Nazism and endangering Germany’s democratic future after his speech on Saturday.

Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, said in a post on X: “The remembrance and acknowledgement of the dark past of the country and its people should be central in shaping the German society. Failing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany”.

The timing of Musk’s appearance at the AfD rally comes just days after he made a gesture in Washington during Trump’s inauguration that sparked widespread condemnation. Musk shocked many - including those watching at Washington DC's Capital One Arena - when he put his hand on his chest, then stretched out his arm with an open hand.

To many it appeared Musk had performed a fascist salute - familiar to most from their use by the Nazis in reverence to Adolf Hitler. Many interpreted it as resembling the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute. He posted the video of his speech on X, formerly Twitter, with one user responding saying: “That was definitely a Nazi salute. Big fan of Tesla. Skeptical of Elon. But that was the most awkward thing I’ve seen no matter how excited he was”.

However, others have suggested he was merely gesturing that his "heart goes out" to the crowd. Elon Musk responded to the ‘Nazi salute’ claims on X. He said “Since legacy media propaganda is considered a “valid” source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!” quoting a tweet that attached a photo showing Wikipedia page that wrote how his gesture was compared to a ‘Nazi salute’.

The tech billionaire also retweeted a post made by another user who had shared a photo of Taylor Swift seemingly making the same hand gesture. The user said: “My god. Not her too“.