Elon Musk Defends Himself Over “Nazi Salute” Allegations
Elon Musk sparked outrage with a controversial gesture he made during a speech celebrating Donald Trump’s inauguration.
While addressing the crowd, Musk appreciated them for “making it happen,” then placed his right hand over his heart and extended the same arm straight ahead into the air. He repeated the gesture for the audience seated behind him.
Many users on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, have compared the gesture to a Nazi salute.
Commenting, Musk wrote on X: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a close ally of President Trump, sparked controversy while speaking at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, when he made a one-armed gesture during his speech.
Musk said after repeating the gesture, “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured”.
The action immediately drew criticisms on social media. Claire Aubin, a historian specialising in Nazism in the U.S., referred to Musk’s gesture as a “sieg heil” or Nazi salute. She posted on X, addressing those who saw the gesture as a Nazi reference. “My professional opinion is that you’re all right; you should believe your eyes”.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at NYU and an expert on fascism, also weighed in, stating, “It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.”
Andrea Stroppa, a close associate of Musk, reportedly shared the clip on Italian social media with the caption, “The Roman Empire is back starting from Roman salute,” further fuelling the controversy.
The Roman salute, commonly associated with Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party in Italy, was later adopted by Adolf Hitler in Germany.
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Andrea Stroppa, a close associate of Musk, initially shared a post linking Musk’s gesture to the Roman salute but later deleted it. He clarified that the gesture, mistaken by some as a Nazi salute, was Musk, who has autism, expressing his feelings by saying, “I want to give my heart to you.” Stroppa added, “Elon dislikes extremists!”
Musk’s gesture has drawn attention as his political views have increasingly shifted to the right. He has recently voiced support for Germany’s far-right AfD party and the UK’s anti-immigration Reform UK party.
However, some have defended Musk, including the Anti-Defamation League, which stated on X, “It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
Musk, now a close ally of Donald Trump, has been appointed to co-lead the president’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit | https://www.fox8live.com/
