Scholz rebukes Musk's controversial gesture amid far‑right stir
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Elon Musk for 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 emphasized 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 commotions
Elon Musk, a well-known billionaire and close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, was one of the speakers before the president arrived at Washington's Capital One Arena.
Musk thanked the new president's supporters and then made a controversial gesture. He placed his right hand on his heart and raised it upward in one swift motion, repeating the gesture in another direction. "My goes out to you," Musk said.
The media worldwide noticed Musk's gesture and interpreted it as "fascist" or "Nazi-like." Musk himself commented on the fuss around his gesture on platform X, writing, "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Experts disagree
Experts disagree about whether Musk's gesture was a Roman salute. An American historian specializing in fascism studies assessed on platform X that it was a "quite 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 stated on platform X.
