this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2025
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Summary

Elon Musk faced backlash after making a gesture at a Trump inauguration event resembling a Nazi salute, sparking condemnation in Germany.

Critics, including Jewish leaders and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called the act provocative and linked it to Musk's support for Germany's far-right AfD party.

Musk dismissed the accusations, calling them baseless.

Legal experts noted the gesture could be prosecuted under German law if malicious intent is proven.

Critics stressed its troubling context given the far-right audience and Musk’s political affiliations.

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[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 89 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Elon, the accusations are not baseless. If it was an honest mistake you’d be bending over backwards to apologize, denounce Nazis, etc.

[–] lysol@lemmy.world 13 points 12 hours ago

Exactly this

[–] slaacaa@lemmy.world 47 points 15 hours ago

I hope some German politicians still have the balls the prosecute him in his absence. It would be funny if he cannot travel to Germany anymore (or maybe the whole EU, if they issue an international warrant)

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 43 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] florencia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 5 hours ago

Video of Elon Musk performing a Nazi Salute side by side to a video of a Neo Nazi performing a Nazi Salute

[–] lurklurk@lemmy.world 29 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

This is a great time to take stock of which of your news sources, friends or family can't be trusted

[–] __nobodynowhere@lemm.ee 5 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] lurklurk@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

that sucks...

[–] codapine@lemm.ee 40 points 15 hours ago

after making ~~a gesture at a Trump inauguration event resembling~~ a Nazi salute

There, Grauniad. I fixed your copy for you.

[–] Hubi@feddit.org 201 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

My Grandma is from Germany and old enough to remember the real thing. I asked her what she thought and her response was that it was, without any doubt, a Nazi salute. I'll stick to this primary source over any neo-fashist calling the accusation "baseless".

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 95 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It’s also a well-worn fascist tactic: completely bald-faced lying in the face of undeniable truth. It’s just double speak on a toddlers level. But it’s frustrating as fuck because it works—and it works because we have a media ecosystem in this country that thrives on a bias toward “fairness” over a bias toward telling the truth as we can all plainly see it.

“Say all house republicans came to the floor tomorrow saying they believe the earth is flat. The Times would lead with “democrats and republicans can’t agree on shape of earth.”

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 19 points 16 hours ago

Joseph Goebbels on the big lie: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it"

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 15 points 18 hours ago

You must reject the evidence of your eyes.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 14 points 19 hours ago

I’m mad enough that a person that is essentially a member of the cabinet is doing something so disgusting so blatantly. I’m even more mad at all the people that insist I am not seeing what I’m so clearly seeing. They’re the reason this shit will continue to spiral.

[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 112 points 22 hours ago (4 children)
[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

Hitler knew everyone was watching, apartheid baby has to look around for make sure everyone saw

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 57 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Hitler had better posture?

Elon looks like he’s demonstrating to a toddler what starting a lawnmower looks like from the lawnmower’s perspective.

[–] charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works 8 points 18 hours ago

Yeah, hitler had way more swagger than this elon douchebag

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 12 points 16 hours ago

Left pic has more power. That's the difference.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 78 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Good grief. He can't even make that gesture without looking like a dweeb.

[–] zephorah@lemm.ee 31 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I’m listening to the 2020 Behind the Bastards on Elon. I like this cast in that you get a full picture, including childhood. Memet Oz: we learn of daddy issues and that he actually was a good surgeon back in the day. Zuckerberg: we learn that FB began as a social wank site for ranking women and that Zuck is heavy into samurai swords.

Elon, apparently, has a CHA score of somewhere in the 8-10 zone and is very overshadowed by his brother on that score.

[–] rowinxavier@lemmy.world 11 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

What is a CHA score? I can't find something that fits the initialism with any relevance, certainly not a CHADS score (stroke risk).

[–] Marafon@sh.itjust.works 18 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Charisma, like in DND. He has average to below average social skills basically.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

OoOoh, 8-10/18. That makes far more sense!

[–] zephorah@lemm.ee 3 points 10 hours ago

Versus Zuckerberg who is rumored to have a CHA of 2. But I think that may be standard for most guys into samurai swords.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 34 points 20 hours ago

Not only that, that's not the first time he's done that. He's had practice.

[–] SwordInStone@lemmy.world 10 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (2 children)

How can it be prosecuted under German law if not done in Germany?

The repercussions I'd like to see is twitter ban. At least for the government organisations.

EDIT: why the downvotes, the question is legitimate.

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 38 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Because relevant is not where it is done, but whether it is suitable to disturb the public peace in Germany. So it takes effect in Germany and if the prosecutors would choose so, they could charge him in Germany and if that leads to an arrest warrant, it could be executed here too.

To conceptualize it, think of online scamming. If someone in India is scamming eldery in the US, the US would also prosecute it, despite the perpetraitor being abroad.

[–] rudi@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 12 hours ago

Updoot because I had the same question and was reading the responses from your comment