Scholz condemns Musk for controversial salute at Forum
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Elon Musk for making a gesture resembling the Roman salute during Donald Trump's inauguration. "What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions," he said during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Scholz stressed that freedom of speech prevails in Europe and Germany, and everyone, even a billionaire, has the right to express their opinions. "Everyone can say what he wants even if he is a billionaire. What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions," he added.
Musk's gesture stirred controversy
Elon Musk, a well-known billionaire and close associate of US President Donald Trump, was one of the speakers before the president arrived at Washington's Capital One Arena.
He thanked the new president's supporters and then made a gesture that sparked controversy. He placed his right hand over his heart and then raised it upward quickly, repeating the gesture in another direction. "My heart goes out to you," Musk said.
Musk's gesture was noticed by media worldwide, who interpreted it as "fascist" or "Nazi." Musk himself commented on the uproar surrounding his gesture on Platform X, writing: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Experts disagree
Experts do not agree on whether Musk's gesture was indeed a Roman salute. An American historian specialising in fascism studies assessed on Platform X that it was "a rather aggressive Nazi salute."
Meanwhile, historian Aaron Astor from Maryville College has a different opinion. "I have criticized Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform. But this gesture is not a Nazi salute. This is a socially awkward autistic man's wave to the crowd where he says "my heart goes out to you," Astor declared on Platform X.
