BERLIN — Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s friendliness with the far right “endangers” democracy in Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday.
“He supports the far right everywhere in Europe — in the U.K., in Germany, in many, many other countries — and that is something that is completely unacceptable,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
“It endangers the democratic development of Europe, it endangers our community and it must be criticized,” the German leader added.
Musk has thrown his lot in with right-wing figures and causes around the globe, including endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany in the country’s forthcoming snap federal election, which is set for Feb. 23.
The social media mogul is also one of Donald Trump’s most vociferous supporters, earning himself a spot in the U.S. president-elect’s inner circle, and has backed Britain’s right-wing Reform UK, with speculation he could soon start bankrolling the party.
Scholz said he wasn’t against Musk expressing his freedom of speech, but: “His siding with the far right, whether for business interests or for reasons to do with his own political stance, is unacceptable.”
The Socialist chancellor’s comments are the latest in an ongoing feud with Musk, who has in turn called Scholz “a fool” and claimed he will “lose” the German federal election.
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