Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX,
found himself at the centre of a storm of controversy after a gesture he made
during a speech at a Donald Trump rally in Washington, DC. The tech mogul
raised his right arm in a way that many onlookers quickly likened to the
infamous Nazi salute, leading to widespread outrage online. This incident has
ignited a debate over whether Musk intentionally mimicked a symbol linked to
Adolf Hitler’s regime.
The controversy unfolded during celebrations for Donald
Trump’s presidential inauguration at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump and one of his notable donors, addressed the
crowd. "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of
civilisation is assured," Musk said, expressing his gratitude to the
supporters.
In the midst of his speech, Musk struck a hand gesture,
raising his right arm at a diagonal angle with his fingers extended and palm
facing down. The gesture was repeated twice, once with his arm raised high and
later at a slightly lower angle, after he thumped his chest. The gesture
quickly gained attention, with social media users comparing it to the Nazi
salute, a symbol infamous for its association with fascism and Adolf Hitler.
The reaction to Musk’s gesture has been sharply divided.
Some historians and commentators have directly linked the gesture to the Nazi
salute. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian of fascism at New York University, stated
on social media, “It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.”
Similarly, historian Claire Aubin described it as a "Sieg Heil"
salute, referring to the notorious Nazi greeting.
Ben Samuels, a journalist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz,
also wrote that Musk’s gesture "appeared to conclude his remarks with a
Roman salute, fascist salute most commonly associated with Nazi Germany,"
further strengthening the claim that it mirrored Nazi imagery.
However, not all experts agreed. The Anti-Defamation League
(ADL), a New York-based organisation combating antisemitism, suggested that
Musk’s actions were unintentional, calling it an “awkward gesture in a moment
of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute”. The ADL encouraged people to offer one
another grace and avoid jumping to conclusions.
This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.
It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on…
The Anti Defamation League is confused It argues that Musk merely "made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute." However, it then states that everyone "should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps the benefit of the doubt." Grace, as any credible theologian understands, is "unmerited favor," which is unnecessary if someone has not done wrong. However, the ADL contends Musk's alute was merely an "awkward gesture," which would make the gift of grace unnecessary.
Not so confused was this witty guy (or gal):
If only Elon had some sort of platform available to him where he could reach us to clarify his intentions
— Protest Radio (@ProtestRadio) January 21, 2025
It turns out that Musk did have something to say about the controversy, at 9:57 p.m. on Monday evening, when he tweeted "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired." That clarified..... exactly nothing.
Musk did not deny the charge, arguing only that the criticism is "tired." Thus, we can go to the record, and not only in the USA- in which Musk spent $250 milion to get Trump elected- but in western Europe. There
In Britain, Mr. Musk revived a decade-old “grooming gangs”
scandal that unfolded while Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose center-left
Labour Party is in power, was head of public prosecutions.
Fanning the flames that were kindled by right-wing media outlets, Mr. Musk has called Mr. Starmer “utterly despicable” and says he should be “in prison.” Last week he asked his 212 million followers to vote on whether “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.”
According to British media reports, Mr. Musk is also considering a $100 million donation to Britain’s far-right Reform Party, which would be the country’s largest political donation ever. The party’s leader, Nigel Farage, one of the chief campaigners for Brexit, has met Trump several times, most recently at Mar-a-Lago last month….
In Germany, which is holding snap federal elections next month, Mr. Musk is encouraging voters to vote for the far-right AfD, offering it the legitimacy that has long been denied to a party under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service for its links to neo-Nazis.
In an opinion piece for a major German newspaper published Dec. 28, he called the AfD the last “spark of hope” for Germany. The country, he said, is “teetering on the brink of economic and cultural collapse.”…
Since Mr. Musk first endorsed the AfD in December, Ms.
Weidel’s posts on X have routinely gone viral, in part because he reposts them,
along with numerous neo-Nazi accounts that have been reinstated and amplified.
Researchers watching the online scene say far-right German influencers now post
on X in English to get Mr. Musk’s attention.
If Musk were nearly anyone else, he'd deny that the salute- uh, er, "gesture"- was not a Nazi salute. But he has not. He has not done so because, whatever was intended, he wants the public to view it as a signal of approval for the new Administration and its anti-democratic policies and procedures. Elon Musk may not be a Nazi or even a fascist but he wants us to know that we better be very, very careful about what we say, write, or do.
No comments:
Post a Comment