Musk Follows That Salute by Telling Germans: Don’t Feel ‘Guilt’ Over Country’s Past

Elon Musk addresses AfD crowd in Germany.
The Daily Beast/Getty Images

Elon Musk urged an audience at a German far-right political rally not to feel “guilty” about their country’s history.

The surprise speech comes less than a week after he was accused of making a “Sieg Heil”-style salute while giving a speech during President Donald Trump’s inauguration. (Musk has denied this was his intent in making the gesture.)

Projected onto a massive screen at a campaign event for right-wing political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), Musk told supporters on Saturday, “It’s OK to be proud to be German. This is a very important principle.”

“I think there’s frankly too much of a focus on past guilt (in Germany), and we need to move beyond that,” Musk continued. “Children should not feel guilty for the sins of their parents—let alone their great grandparents.”

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Although Musk didn’t mention Nazism explicitly, his speech was heard by many as addressing the collective guilt felt by many German people following Nazi atrocities perpetrated during World War II, including the Holocaust.

A representative for Musk did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for clarification on his remarks.

Musk drew fire last month when he publicly announced support for AfD, Germany’s third-largest party, which critics accuse of racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.

“Only the AfD can save Germany,” wrote Musk, who has emerged as key adviser and backer of Trump.

Shortly before delivering a victory speech on stage at Trump’s inauguration festivities on Monday, Musk threw a straight-arm pose that many commentators—and many critics—said bore a resemblance to the Roman salute, symbolism widely associated with fascist movements, and Nazism specifically.

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Musk dismissed the comparison as “pure propaganda,” but still took the opportunity to crack a series of Nazi jokes on X.

It isn’t the first time Musk has faced allegations of antisemitism.

Elon Musk’s controversial gesture at a Trump event following the president’s inauguration. / ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images
Elon Musk’s controversial gesture at a Trump event following the president’s inauguration. / ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

In response to a post on X that accused Jews of “hatred against whites,” Musk in 2023 wrote, “You have said the actual truth.”

After criticism that the remark platformed antisemitic conspiracy theories, Musk apologized and called the post “foolish.”