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Musk caused a sensation over the weekend when he supported the AfD in an opinion article that appeared in a major German newspaper. The newspaper’s opinion editor resigned in anger.

“Freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense,” said government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann, who did not elaborate on Musk’s comments. “Elon Musk is indeed attempting to influence the federal election through his statement,” she acknowledged, nevertheless.

Hoffmann also emphasized that the AfD has already been labeled as such in a number of German states and is being watched by the country’s domestic intelligence agency for possible right-wing extremism.

February 23 is the date of the early general election, which follows the fall of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition last month due to differences over how to boost Germany’s flagging economy.

Musk referred to the AfD as “the last spark of hope for this country” in his opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag over the weekend, which was his second support of the party this month. He claimed that Germany might be led by the AfD into a future of technical innovation, cultural integrity, and economic prosperity. Musk further defended his remarks by saying that he has the right to comment on German matters because of his investment in the country.

Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate, has little chance of winning the position of chancellor despite the party’s impressive polling results because other parties are unwilling to work with the far-right organization. In his article, Musk defended the AfD’s image and refuted the idea that the party is radical by bringing up Weidel’s Sri Lankan same-sex spouse.

Musk’s statement sparked discussions about the boundaries of free speech in German media. On Musk’s social media account, X, Welt am Sonntag’s opinion editor Eva Marie Kogel announced her resignation, writing, “Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. My resignation went to print yesterday, and I turned it in.”

Both politicians and media outlets criticized the move to give Musk, a foreign national, a forum. The newspaper also included a counterpoint to Musk’s article from Jan Philipp Burgard, the new editor-in-chief of the Welt group, who acknowledged that although some of Musk’s criticisms of Germany’s problems might be valid, his claim that the AfD alone could solve them was “fatally wrong.”

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Source : apnews

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