The X CEO came under scrutiny for making a gesture many described to be a ‘Nazi salute’ during President Trump’s inauguration [GETTY]
The world’s wealthiest man Elon Musk has made jokes about Adolf Hitler, the architect of the Holocaust, on social media an hour after being defended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his alleged “Nazi salutes” at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
Musk posted on his social media platform X a series of puns about members of Hitler’s Nazi Party including deputy leader Rudolf Hess, chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels; head of the German air force Hermann Gőring; and SS head Heinrich Himmler, who played key role in the Holocaust, which saw 6 million European Jews murdered.
His post came just half an hour after expressing gratitude to Netanyahu, who is facing an arrest warrant from the ICC for war crimes in Gaza, who said Musk was “falsely smeared” over the controversial salute at Trump’s inauguration.
Musk’s post was met with backlash from pro-Israel organisation the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which came under fire for defending the billionaire’s gesture.
The organisation’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, later said on X: “We’ve said it hundreds of times before and we will say it again: the Holocaust was a singularly evil event, and it is inappropriate and offensive to make light of it. @elonmusk, the Holocaust is not a joke.”
The organisation itself had also retweeted Greenblatt’s tweet, writing: “Making inappropriate and highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust only serve to minimize the evil and inhumanity of Nazi crimes, denigrate the suffering of both victims and survivors and insult the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah.”
The X owner was accused of giving a Nazi salute while speaking at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, during President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Musk touched the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extended his arm upwards, repeating the gesture to the crowd behind him.
“My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured,” Musk said as he finished the gesture.
The ADL, which tracks antisemitism but also covers racism and extremism, was condemned after describing Musk’s actions as an “awkward gesture” and “not a Nazi salute”, which Musk thanked them for.
The organisation describes the salute as “raising an outstretched right arm with the palm down”.
In 2023, the organisation accused Musk of antisemitism, and the X CEO threatened to sue the ADL over losses in X’s advertising revenue.
While Netanyahu said Musk was being “falsely smeared” and “a great friend of Israel”.
The world’s richest man responded to the accusations, saying: “Frankly they [the democrats] need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
The Tesla founder also shared videos on X of other political figures, including Macron and Kamala Harris, for making similar gestures.
The salute, also known as the Roman salute, was widely used by Italy’s former Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, which Hitler then adopted. Musk’s gesture is reportedly being celebrated by right-wing extremists online, according to AP News.
Despite having been previously described as libertarian, following the Covid-19 pandemic, Musk’s views often correspond with the European and American far-right, making statements in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party, hosting its leader for a conversation on X.
He has also supported the British anti-immigration party Reform UK and publicly attacked its leader Nigel Farage, who is seen as a comparative moderate in the right-wing movement.
Musk also called for the release of British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, who is currently jailed after admitting contempt of court.
