LONDON (AP) – Fresh off pouring money and energy into helping Donald Trump get re-elected, Elon Musk has set his sights on Europe, sounding the alarm among politicians across the continent.
The CEOs of Tesla and SpaceX support the far-right Alternative for Germany, demand the release of imprisoned British anti-Islam extremist Tommy Robinson, and imprison British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. I called him an evil tyrant.
Many European politicians are concerned about the attention. Musk’s feed on social network are.
Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University, said Mr Musk was using X “a bit like an old-school newspaper mogul” to promote his political views.
“We’ve seen Mr. Musk start to align more clearly with far-right international movements,” Chadwick said. “If you look at what kind of people Musk himself is pushing on his platform…he’s starting to assemble an increasingly diverse group of right-wing influencers, many of whom have large followings. and present their evidence as a basis for intervention.” European politics. ”
Read more: Musk’s support for far-right party AfD sparks uproar in Germany ahead of crucial election
Musk entered German politics ahead of a general election on February 23 after the collapse of the fractious three-party coalition government led by centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
On December 20, Musk wrote to X: “Only the AfD can save Germany,” referring to options for Germany, which is under surveillance by domestic intelligence agencies for suspected extremism.
He emphasized his support for the AfD in an article in the Wert am Sonntag newspaper, claiming that Germany was “on the brink of economic and cultural collapse.” Later this week, Musk will have a live chat on X with AfD co-leader Alice Weidell.
Mr. Scholz’s response exemplifies the dilemma faced by European politicians: Should they ignore Mr. Musk’s comments or risk amplifying them by engaging with them?
Scholz said it was important to “remain calm” in the face of personal attacks, but said Musk’s involvement in German politics was concerning. In his New Year’s message, Scholz astutely pointed out that Germany’s future direction will be determined by German voters “and not by the owners of social media channels.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned of the risk of unchecked power in the hands of tech billionaires and the destabilizing impact it could have on democratic institutions.
“Who could have imagined 10 years ago that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would directly intervene in elections, including in Germany?” Macron said.
Greece’s Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said Musk’s actions were “troubling and in no way funny.”
“Someone cannot simply use their platform, their wealth, their connections to try to dictate how governments are formed in different countries,” he told Parapolitica Radio. “This is becoming increasingly dangerous.”
Mr Musk has become increasingly interested in British politics since the centre-left Labor Party was elected in July, calling Mr Starmer an “evil” leader who presides over a “tyrannical police state”.
Musk’s recent focus has been on child sexual abuse, particularly a series of cases that rocked a town in northern England several years ago. In the case, a group of men, mostly of Pakistani background, were on trial for grooming and abusing dozens of white girls. The case has been used by far-right activists to link child abuse to immigration and Islam.
Musk accused Starmer of failing to bring perpetrators to justice when he was England’s director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, a charge Starmer strongly denies.
“Starmer must go and be charged with complicity in the worst mass crime in British history,” Musk tweeted.
Mr Chadwick said there was “reluctance from Britain’s political elite to get involved” in response to Mr Musk’s “incredibly inflammatory comments”. But Mr Starmer reversed his stance on Monday, denouncing “lies and misinformation” and accusing British Conservative politicians who sympathize with some of Mr Musk’s claims of “amplifying far-right rhetoric”. did.
“I enjoy the fresh debate in politics and the vigorous debate we have to have, but it has to be based on facts and truth, not lies,” the prime minister said.
Starmer faces calls to tighten Britain’s foreign interference laws, and governments around the world are under pressure to break away from X. Both the British and German governments have said they have no plans to leave the platform.
Musk’s X is under investigation by European authorities seeking to curb hate, disinformation and other harmful content on social media. The European Union has launched infringement proceedings against He said he would consider whether the party was being given inappropriate “preferential treatment.” .
Musk, who describes himself as a free speech advocate, has been critical of efforts to regulate social media. He compared Britain’s attempts to eliminate online misinformation through online safety laws to Soviet censorship.
While it’s clear that Musk enjoys luring mainstream politicians on social media, Chadwick said it remains to be seen whether his posts will change public attitudes or help the causes he champions. I don’t know.”
And political intervention is risky for him. Tesla investors are watching his comments as a sign that the company will exclude car buyers who don’t agree with his policies.
Tesla is already struggling in Europe, where new registrations for Musk’s electric cars fell 13% in the first nine months of 2023, according to auto researcher Jato Dynamics. In Germany, Tesla registrations fell by 44%.
Felipe Muñoz, a senior analyst at Jato, said Musk’s outspokenness is rare for owners of publicly traded companies and comes with risks, but it could pay off in the end.
“Europe is moving to the right,” he said, pointing to politicians such as France’s Marine Le Pen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Look what happened in the US. His bet on Trump paid off. He’s playing the same game in Europe.”
Gail Moulson in Berlin, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Raf Cassart in Brussels, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, and Bernard Condon in New York contributed to this story.
