Musk Expresses Support for Far-Right Party in Germany’s Election

THE NEW YORK TIMES: It was not the first online intervention by Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and adviser to Donald Trump, on behalf of once-fringe anti-immigrant parties in Europe.

Elon Musk has long made heavy use of X, which he bought in 2022, to express his views on politics in the United States and abroad. | Pool photo by Allison Robbert
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a close adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, on Friday endorsed Germany’s far-right party, a group with ties to neo-Nazis whose youth wing has been classified as “confirmed extremist” by German domestic intelligence.

“Only the AfD can save Germany,” Mr. Musk posted to X, referring to the anti-immigrant party, the Alternative for Germany, by its German initials.

In doing so, he is wading into German politics at a moment of acute turmoil, and at the very same time that he has wielded his influence in Washington to help blow up a bipartisan spending deal that was meant to avoid a government shutdown over Christmas. The German government recently collapsed, resulting in early elections, which are planned for next year.

Mr. Musk’s post was in response to an English-language video by a 24-year-old German far-right influencer, Naomi Seibt. She harshly criticized Friedrich Merz, whom polls show leading the race, for dismissing a rival’s suggestion that Germany look to Mr. Musk and another firebrand, President Javier Milei of Argentina, for ideas about reforming the country. » | Christopher F. Schuetze and Mark Landler | Christopher Schuetze reported from Berlin, and Mark Landler reported from London. | Friday, December 20, 2024

The Logical Leftist: Elon Musk Endorses German Neo-Nazi Party

Dec 20, 2024

How Influential Is Musk among the Far Right in Germany? | DW News

Dec 20, 2024 | Elon Musk, who's also a close adviser to Donald Trump, posted on X that the far-right Alternative for Germany is the only party that can save Germany. The AFD is at odds with the country's mainstream parties, because of its hardline anti-immigrant and anti-European Union stances. It's also under observation by German law enforcement because parts of the party are suspected of seeking to undermine Germany's democratic order.

As I wrote very recently, Elon Musk is one of the world’s most dangerous men. Interfering in other countries’ politics is not acceptable. At this rate, we will see a Nazi government again in Germany. Concentration camps in the USA housing the millions of immigrants that Musk’s best buddy, Trump, intends to deport, and Nazis back in power in Germany. We really are heading towards dark and dangerous times. I was pretty accurate in my assessment on Wednesday last when I called Trump a metastasising cancer on the body politic, wasn't I? Musk wouldn't be wielding all this power without the re-election of Trump. – © Mark Alexander

Inside the Far-right Blueprint for Germany’s Eurasian Future | DW Analysis

Sep 6, 2024 | Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is surging, with breakthroughs in regional and EU-wide elections. Party leader Alice Weidel says her goal is national power, eyeing the 2029 federal elections.

Despite its growing support, the AfD’s vision of foreign policy remains little known around the world. So in this new special report, DW takes a forensic microscope to the party’s blueprint for Germany’s future.

What this reveals is the party’s profound skepticism about the key Western alliances — NATO and the EU — and an outspoken openness to a Eurasian outlook, fostering deeper relations with Russia and China and the international institutions they lead, from the Belt and Road Initiative to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union: prime sources of prestige for Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In exclusive interviews with Alice Weidel, foreign policy spokesman Matthias Moosdorf and powerful ideologue Björn Höcke, DW’s Richard Walker and Rosalia Romaniec scrutinize the AfD’s views on Germany’s alliances and NATO Article 5 commitments to the Baltic states and Poland, its skepticism of the United States, possible future architectures for European defense, who should have nuclear weapons, future ties with Russia and China, and how Germany should act in a Taiwan conflict scenario.

Includes analysis from leading international experts on Russia, China, the US and Europe: Alexander Gabuev (Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center), Amanda Hsiao (International Crisis Group), Katarzyna Pisarska (Warsaw Security Forum), Peter Rough (Hudson Institute), and Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Europe).

Democracy under Threat? The Rise of the Far-right in Germany | DW Documentary

Oct 8, 2024 | Support for the far-right is growing in Germany, raising fears of a new 1933 - the year Adolf Hitler came to power. Does the recent electoral success of the far-right Alternative for Germany party indicate the country’s democracy is under threat?

In the eastern state of Thuringia, the extreme right has become the strongest force in the state parliament for the first time in post-war history. The development has triggered comparisons to the rise of Hitler - it was in Thuringia that the Nazis first entered a regional government, just three years before Hitler took power nationwide.

Some Germans are concerned that democracy is hanging in the balance. Hundreds of thousands of people are now taking to the streets regularly to voice their support for democracy and take a stand against right-wing extremism. But is the Germany of 2024 really comparable to that of 1933?

This documentary explores parallels between then and now, and also looks at other events that took place in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, neo-Nazis wanted to make the small town of Langen in Hesse the first "foreigner-free” town in Germany. After German reunification in 1990, right-wing extremist groups also became increasingly influential in East Germany. Is the AfD's election success a further step in the growth of the far-right in Germany and a threat to democracy?

Defending the Legacy of East Germany's Peaceful Revolution | DW News

Oct 3, 2024 | Every year on October 3, Germany celebrates its reunification. But even decades after reunification, Germany remains politically divided. The right-wing populist, anti-immigration AfD is on the rise, especially in the east. Former civil rights activists are outraged.

Inside the Far-right Blueprint for Germany’s Eurasian Future | DW Analysis

Sep 6, 2024 | Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is surging, with breakthroughs in regional and EU-wide elections. Party leader Alice Weidel says her goal is national power, eyeing the 2029 federal elections.

Despite its growing support, the AfD’s vision of foreign policy remains little known around the world. So, in this new special report, DW takes a forensic microscope to the party’s blueprint for Germany’s future.

What this reveals is the party’s profound skepticism about the key Western alliances — NATO and the EU — and an outspoken openness to a Eurasian outlook, fostering deeper relations with Russia and China and the international institutions they lead, from the Belt and Road Initiative to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union: prime sources of prestige for Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In exclusive interviews with Alice Weidel, foreign policy spokesman Matthias Moosdorf and powerful ideologue Björn Höcke, DW’s Richard Walker and Rosalia Romaniec scrutinize the AfD’s views on Germany’s alliances and NATO Article 5 commitments to the Baltic states and Poland, its skepticism of the United States, possible future architectures for European defense, who should have nuclear weapons, future ties with Russia and China, and how Germany should act in a Taiwan conflict scenario.

Includes analysis from leading international experts on Russia, China, the US and Europe: Alexander Gabuev (Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center), Amanda Hsiao (International Crisis Group), Katarzyna Pisarska (Warsaw Security Forum), Peter Rough (Hudson Institute), and Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Europe).

Germany to Impose Border Controls after Far-right Election Victory in Eastern States

Sep 12, 2024 | Such was the shock of elections in two eastern German states - with one more to come at the end of the month - that the government of Olaf Scholz is introducing measures that go against the very grain of the EU's most sacred principal: the freedom of movement and the Schengen Agreement.

Wie Thüringer Juden den Aufstieg der AfD sehen | DW Nachrichten

Aug 20, 2024 | Drei Bundesländer wählen im September neue Parlamente und damit neue Regierungen. Das beste Ergebnis dürfte dabei die rechtsextreme Alternative für Deutschland einfahren. Eine Gruppe ist darüber besonders alarmiert.

ZDFheute Nachrichten: Wie Thüringen wirklich über Höcke denkt | DWBDS

Aug 11, 2024 | Björn Höcke ist eine der prominentesten und radikalsten Figuren der AfD. Bei dieser Landtagswahl wird seine Partei in Thüringen nach bisherigen Umfragen stärkste Kraft. Eva Schulz reist durchs Land und will wissen: Ist Höcke wirklich jemand, den die Thüringerinnen und Thüringer als Ministerpräsident wollen?

Behind German Far-right Party AfD's 'No to Ukraine' in the EU

Jul 1, 2024 | A leading figure of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party told DW News that Ukraine should not join the European Union. Beatrix von Storch also called for a halt to German weapon deliveries to Kyiv, an end to the fighting in Ukraine and the start of negotiations with Russia to cease hostilities.

The AfD deputy parliamentary group leader also shared her views on transgender rights, the results of the recent EU parliamentary elections and the upcoming regional elections in eastern Germany, where the AfD is projected to gain ground.

DW’s Chief Political Editor Michaela Küfner spoke to von Storch at an AfD party convention in the German town of Essen.

Despite Scandals Far-right Alternative for Germany Come Second in EU Vote | DW News

Jun 10, 2024 | The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has won the second biggest share of the EU vote in Germany, while the conservative Union parties have retained the biggest vote share.

The AfD performed strongest in east Germany, with the party coming first in the region according to preliminary results. That's despite several scandals engulfing the party ahead of the vote, including its lead candidate Maximilan Krah saying that the Schutzstaffel, or SS, the Nazis' main paramilitary force, were "not all criminals".

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats are heading for their worst ever national election result, with coalition partners the Greens and the Liberals also taking a beating.

The results paint a grim picture for the government ahead of three state elections in eastern Germany this year, and a general election in 2025.


European election results 2024: live from across the EU »

‘We’re everywhere now’: National Rally members toast EU elections success: Marine Le Pen’s far-right party see unprecedented result as stepping stone to presidential elections in 2027 »

How Germany Is Responding to the Far-right | DW News

Feb 11, 2024 | Hundreds of thousands have come out across Germany in recent days to protest the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The far-right populist party with a strong anti-immigration focus is enjoying record highs in opinion polls. Nationwide surveys show that about one in five Germans would vote for it, and the AfD is projected to come first in elections in three eastern states later this year. So how did Germany get here? And how is society responding?

Defiance in Germany: Can Mass Protests Stop the Far Right? | To The Point

Feb 1, 2024 | Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Germany. It’s the largest social movement in the country in decades. In cities and towns large and small, protestors have been demonstrating against the far right, to advocate for an open society and to protect their democracy. And yet, supporters of Germany’s biggest far-right party seem undaunted, with more people than ever joining the organization. How dangerous is the AfD? What is causing such anger within mainstream society? And how resilient is Germany’s democracy? On To the Point we ask: Defiance in Germany: Can mass protests stop the far right?

German Mainstream Scramble to Thwart Rising Popularity of the Far Right | DW News

Jan 27, 2024 | The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has partially classified as right-wing extremist, is enjoying record highs in opinion polls. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the anti-immigration party.

The German Bundestag is also debating how to deal with the AfD, with the three governing parliamentary factions — the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)— submitting a motion on the issue. The topic: "Resilient democracy in a diverse country — a clear stand against the enemies of democracy and their plans of forced displacement."

The move was prompted by a media report about a meeting last fall of right-wing extremists, attended by AfD officials as well as members of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The gathering is said to have been about plans for the so-called remigration, or expulsion, of millions of people who have immigrated to Germany.

In the parliamentary debate, Bernd Baumann, the AfD's parliamentary secretary and chief whip in the German parliament, told lawmakers the meeting was no more than a "small, private debate club," but not a "secret meeting dangerous to the public."

But Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) called it "an active effort to shift borders and to spread contempt for democracy and misanthropy into the heart of society." Faeser said she could also imagine banning the party — but only as a last resort.

Far-right AfD Leader Vows to Campaign for Brexit-style EU Exit Vote in Germany

THE GUARDIAN: Alice Weidel says UK departure is model for her country as party struggles with reaction to exposé about deportation ‘masterplan’

Alice Weidel sacked a senior aide over his attendance at the covert meeting that triggered nationwide protests. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland has said her party will campaign for a Brexit-style vote on EU membership if it comes to power, calling the UK’s departure from the bloc a model for its largest member.

Alice Weidel told the Financial Times in an exclusive interview that the UK decision would be “dead right” for Germany, and that a “Dexit” would boost the country’s self-determination.

“It’s a model for Germany, that one can make a sovereign decision like that,” she said.

It was one of the party’s first public pronouncements since the beginning of a wave of nationwide protests against the AfD, triggered by revelations that leading members had attended a covert meeting at which a “masterplan” for mass deportations of foreigners and German passport holders was discussed, with a view to the party implementing the plans if it came to power. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Monday, January 22, 2024

Thousands in Hamburg Rally against Far-right 'Master Plan' | DW News

Jan 20, 2024 | Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the German city of Hamburg to protest against the far right. It follows revelations that members of the Alternative for Germany party held a secret meeting to discuss the mass deportation of immigrants and German citizens of foreign origin. The AfD is under domestic surveillance in several German states - and there have been calls to ban the party entirely.

Why Is Germany’s Far-right AfD Party So Successful? | DW News

Jan 18, 2024 | Thousands turned out for a fourth night of protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany. The demonstrations were triggered by word that party members discussed a plan to deport millions of foreigners and Germans with a migration background.

Schlagabtausch im Bundestag: „AfD will Menschen aus der Mitte unseres Landes vertreiben“

Jan 18, 2024 | Der Bundestag debattiert zum Geheimtreffen Rechtsextremer, bei dem es um die massenhafte Abschiebung von Migranten aus Deutschland gegangen sein soll. Die AfD weist die Vorwürfe zurück und bekräftigt unterdessen die Forderungen nach Abschiebungen. © AFP, DPA

Vor Rotem Rathaus in Berlin: Tausende demonstrieren gegen Rechtsextremismus

Jan 18, 2024 | Auslöser war ein Bericht der Recherche-Plattform „Correctiv“ über ein geheimes Treffen von Rechtsextremen und AfD-Parteimitgliedern. Dabei soll es unter anderem um Pläne für eine massenhafte Vertreibung von Menschen mit Zuwanderungsgeschichte gegangen sein. © REUTERS, IMAGO