Germany’s political and media circles gets stirred up by Elon Musk when he published a guest opinion piece in the Welt am Sonntag on Saturday supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Released by the Axel Springer media group, it led to the resignation of opinion section editor Eva Marie Kogel, who protested the text.
Musk’s article is based on a recent post on social media where he said that “only the AfD can save Germany.” In the article, Musk dismissed accusations of extremism by the AfD, referring to its leader Alice Weidel’s personal life. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka. Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Musk wrote.
The AfD has been under scrutiny since Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classified it as a suspected extremism case in 2021. Musk defended his stance by citing his “significant investments” in Germany, arguing for his right to voice opinions on the country’s political landscape.
Just days after the post went live, Kogel announced her resignation to social media, referencing the scandalous commentary. Newspaper editor-in-chief designate, Jan Philipp Burgard, said publishing Musk’s piece has the importance of free expressions and polarizing debates with journalism. The incoming publisher is Ulf Poschardt.
In a letter accompanying Musk’s article, Burgard agreed with the stance of Musk in criticizing the problems that Germany faces but opposed his endorsement of AfD. The party’s controversial policy, Burgard said, is an anti-EU stance and an inclination toward getting closer to Russia and China; these are damaging alliances.
This comes when Germany is heading to Elections on February 23 at the back of a chancellor’s coalition government led by Olaf Scholz from collapsing. According to the survey, the AfD stood second and would interfere in the formation of the centrist right or centrist left majority. Still, mainstream German parties have issued a statement saying that mainstream German parties would keep any national-level alliances out from the AfD.
Musk’s comments have attracted large attention, sparking debate in German politics about his role and the growing polarization going into the elections.
