#Musk supports right wing AFD Party

[rejectingrepublicans]

Hitler phones Elon Musk

Four minute comedic YouTube video. Hitler rants are parodies from a German biographical docudrama film that realistically portrayed Hitler as the deranged villain behind World War II.

[waytootiredstudent]

Why the CDU/CSU can go fuck itself

Time for another one of these. a quick(ish) summary for all the non-german speakers about why we're freaking out and the state of our democracy.

Spoiler. its not...good. Not catastrophic (yet). But the alarm bells are very, very loud.

Tl;dr: The CDU, party currently prognosed to win the election, has basically worked together with the afd to get a migrationbill to pass that is very strict. The afd are the nazi party that is getting backed by Musk. This might forshadow a cooperation between AFD and CDU. That would put the far right in power. The current response from the general public are demonstrations against that. Like. there are a LOT of protests currently.

Alright grab a drink and lets go.

First, groundwork: Who are parties and who is the guy we currently all want to punch in the face?

on top: Careful, risk of confusion. on the left: on the board of a sleazy cooperation. not interested in the enviroment. Real. On the right: on the board of a sleazy cooperation. not interested in the enviroment. comic figure.

This guy here is Friedrich Merz. no, not the guy on the right. the guy on the left. I know. Easy mistake to make.

He's an asshole. He's also the current boss of the CDU and their chancellor candidate. He's very likely to win according to recent polls.

The CDU has a complicated history, but to simplify it: They were in charge for sixteen years before the now broken apart Traffic-light goverment and are responsible for a lot of shit that we're currently dealing with. Like crumbling infrastructure for example. They were more interested, as a party, to preserve the status quo at all costs, than to invest anything. You could argue that a lot of the enviromental issues we are facing and the reason why Germany is currently pretty stagnant, can be traced back to the one and a half decade the CDU was in charge. They are conservative, not a fan of migration and like to throw around 'tradtional values'.

They are, generally speaking, or better were, center right. More on that later.

The other party that is going to be a major pain in the ass to outright fucking dangerous, is the AFD, short for 'Alternative for Germany'.

this is Alice Weidel, she's the current chancellor candidate for the afd. here is her wikipedia article and lets just say her 'controversies' part is longer than her 'political positions' part.

Those are the, to put it bluntly, Nazis. They are dangerous but also a fucking mess. Like, to just list a few of their hits: They've been getting money from dictators (different ones btw, not just one), infigthing is a sport to them, they try to glorify the nazi-regime, the german intelligence agency is watching them because they are officially considered radical right-wing and a threat to democracy, there is a petition to ban the afd and that is a high bar to cross, the demonize immigrants, hate queer people, you know, the usual. Also of course political correctness has gone too far and climate change isn't real and we need to leave the EU. Elon Musk, you know the rich guy who did the Nazi-salute, also has been appearing and is actively supporting them. Just in case we were unclear before on where they all stand.

(btw the whole 'elon is supporting them' thing is pretty scary bc you could argue the reason that the afd is able to win so many votes is bc, frankly, they're good at social media. Do i need to elaborate why that is a dangerous combination.)

to put them into perspective: The afd is too right for the other alt-right parties in the EU parlament. There is a coalition in the EU Parlament for the right, made up of all the right wing parties from other nations and the afd is too right for them. So. yeeeeaaah.

that should do it as background information.

Now. back to current events. where both of these parties are getting more and more support.

For a short history of why we currently have a non-functioning goverment, i made a post about that. Be aware that it was made as a product of its time and doesn't have all the information. For example back then we didn't know that FDP had actively engineered that break up and wanted it to happen for a while. Yes. They wanted to topple the goverment they were in. on purpose. It's been a fun time over here in Germany as well.

anyways, lets get to the meat of things. Since we don't have a functional goverment currently, Merz has introduced a harsh migration bill. This has been in the wake of an attack with two murders, where the current suspect is a migrant. while this is a tragedy, its getting brutally misused by all out rightwing parties to scream about how we need stricter migration laws and that migrants are a danger. Which to be so fucking clear about this, is such bullshit. It's been proven so many times how that is bullshit. I'm gonna be real and not even bother. They're just the newest scapegoats everything can be blamed on.

But because nobody has a majority, all attempts at governing so far have been pretty stalled.

(our goverment currently)

Quick information from the past:

in 2018 the CDU basically stated they wouldn't, in any sort of way, cooperate with the AFD, declaring basically a Brandmauer (fire wall). This basically means that yes, the afd had been given seats in the parlament, but nobody would give them any power whatsoever.

This has been the position of the cdu. It is why people still considered them center-right.

Merz has repeatedly said he didn't care who voted with him. now with a slight majority, 348 to 344, the cdu has won, with the support of the afd. Many see this as the fall of the Brandmauer. It's not good. Merz has more and more talking points that sound exactly like the afd and that is SCARY. There is still a vivid memory alive here about why having a far-right goverment is dangerous. There is a reason why there are currently a lot of massive protests all over the country loudly proclaiming that 'never again is now'.

This also puts for many the cdu from 'center right' to 'right'. There are calls from inside the cdu to 'stop demonizing the afd'. This is scary. This could mean that we get not just a conservative goverment in a few weeks, but a rightwing one. One who is comfortable cooperating with radical right wingers if it suits their needs. To cooperate with a party that even our own intelligence agencies consider a threat to our democrazy.

So. that is why your german mutuals sit there like

Now. To another part. What exactly is that migration bill merz had wanted to pass so desperateldy?

Well first of all it calls for a national emergency, using the beforementioned murder as reasoning, for the danger of immigration. It calls for closing and controls at the borders permanently, not temporary as is curently the case. They want for people without valid ID to be refused entry, even when they are searching safety. People that are already in Germany but need to leave should be thrown in jail until they actually leave.

Which. just to be clear about this. this what the bill they had, that had the support of the afd, says. This is not a wish list. This what they want to be law.

But to be also clear, lots of this is against our current law, against Basic EU law and principle and also a pretty big violation of our constituation.

Which is what makes this situation so fatal. This bill is going to be fought. In court, in politics, with demonstrations on the streets. this bill is controversial. Merz knew that. he knew that a lot of this wouldn't pass. This is a publicly stunt. This is testing the waters. How much will the public allow? how far can he push? Is cooperation with the afd possible for him? How does everyone react?

It was never about immigration or that bill. All the people this is going to impact, all the lives that are going to be lost because of this shit they are pulling - this is to them all just collateral. Its testing how much is possible, tolerated even. The chances of this bill making it law is slim. It needs to pass again in a different body of the goverment with a two thirds majority and that is nowhere in sight.

Also, lets take a look at who voted what:

it was about four votes. So my german friends who also read this - look at this and be aware of who voted what. Who abstained to vote and gave up the four votes it would have taken to stop this. who accepted that to get what they want they would need to get the support of the afd, no matter how much Merz now claims that he still doesn't cooperate with the afd and that there were no talks between them. Look at the numbers. Look how and with who they voted.

To be frank, i am pretty pissed off. I don't think much about wallowing in self-pity and despair. i am pissed off about what is happening. i am pissed off that these people don't have a spine, i am pissed off at the FDP for enabling this in the first place, i am pissed off that we have Nazis in out goverment, i am pissed off that we have people who are willing to cooperate with them. I am pissed off that i need to settle for damage control instead of being able to see something finally move forward.

Now here we come to the less depressing part of this whole thing. And i want you to pay attention to it.

People are protesting. loudly. And in the thousands. There have been ten to a hundred thousands of people all over the country in the last week, protesting against the rise of faschism and the far right. Its all over the country, in different cities. Where the afd appears to talk, so do the protesters. There are 35 afd people to 1300 protesters. People loudly say 'never again is now'. And they show up to back that claim up.

This shit is vile, yes, but it's not going to be unopposed.

I know this all reads as depressing as fuck but do not give into the temptation of falling into despair. This is far from over. Yes those are the alarm bells and they are ringing loudly. But there is still things that can be done. Don't let the afd lure you into thinking this all pointless anyways. It's not. This is all not good, yes, but no reason to fall into blind panic. The bill isn't law yet. Merz is facing massive backlash for his little stunt. This is not a hopeless situation. It's just a shitty one.

[saywhat-politics]

Elon Musk seemingly endorsed the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Friday.

The big picture: The X owner has used his social media platform to promote his own ideologies. Since gaining more influence in the incoming Trump administration, the billionaire CEO appears to be exercising that power over politics in the U.S. and abroad.

Musk has shown recent support for other European right-wing populist politicians, including Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and British politician Nigel Farage, who is big Trump champion in the U.K.

Driving the news: "Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk posted on X.

His message was in response to a post from German right-wing influencer Naomi Seibt, criticizing conservative chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz.

Context: Germany will hold a snap election in February, after a center-left coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.

AfD became the first far-right party this year to win a regional election in Germany since World War II.

[mapsontheweb]

The Hard Right in the EU

Across Europe, right-wing parties are reshaping the political landscape. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni leads the government, while in Austria, the Freedom Party (FPÖ) recently secured a historic victory. In Germany, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has gained significant traction, notably receiving public support from Elon Musk. Musk's endorsement has sparked widespread debate and concern. These developments has shown a growing trend towards conservative politics across the continent. Source: Politico

by nazar.data/instagram

[whyeverr]

Listen, I am absolutely living for the energy on countless subreddits today and I need to see that same sparkle here.

I know there are Xwitter holdouts in the Sims community because it's still a primary communication platform for The Sims... or perhaps because some folks are too vain to abandon a platform where they can boast a high public follower count or "famous" mutuals... ew 🙄

How can we help shift our community away from supporting a literal Nazi with every passive link click or mindless scroll?

Can we... ban Xwitter links on all our Discord servers? call in people who post X links like we have (tried) with CF? share screenshots instead of X links when the next "leak" comes out?

How can we push The Sims team to shift their communications strategy to other, less harmful platforms? (cough, Bluesky)

This feels incredibly urgent to me as an American but it should feel urgent to you too, regardless of where you live! Just look at Elon's recent backing of the right wing extremist AfD party in Germany. The man has enough money to buy any government he wants, let's not let him have our eyeballs for free.

[misfitwashere]

The Muskrat Goes Global

Why is the richest person on earth with the largest political platform in the world and the next U.S. president in his pocket becoming a global neo-fascist? What can be done to constrain him?

ROBERT REICH

JAN 7

Friends,

Elon Musk repeatedly asserts, without evidence, that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer covered up the abuses of young girls by gangs comprised largely of British Pakistani men, in cases that date back to before 2010 when Starmer was head of Britain’s public prosecutions. 

“Starmer was complicit in the RAPE OF BRITAIN when he was head of Crown Prosecution for 6 years,” Musk posted to the top of his account on Friday. “Starmer must go and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain.”

In fact, Starmer, who heads the Labour government, did not cover up abuses. Instead, he brought the first case against an Asian grooming gang and drafted new guidelines for how the Crown Prosecution Service should deal with cases of sexual exploitation of children, including the mandatory reporting of child sex offenses. 

Musk also calls Jess Phillips, the Labour government’s under secretary for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, a “rape genocide apologist” because she pushed back on calls for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, a town near Manchester. 

In fact, Phillips, who has long campaigned for women’s rights, has called for a local investigation by Oldham authorities rather than the central government. Women’s rights supporters say Musk’s labeling Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” is threatening her safety.

Yesterday, Starmer warned publicly that Musk’s baseless accusations “crossed a line,” adding that “once we lose the anchor that truth matters, in the robust debate that we must have, then we are on a very slippery slope.”

Musk’s global reach

Musk’s lies about the left-wing British government and his support for far-right groups are parts of an emerging pattern. Musk is also: 

boosting the far-right party in Germany with neo-Nazi ties, known as Alternative for Germany (AfD), before elections early next month. Musk signaled his support for AfD in mid-December, writing in a post on X that“only the AfD can save Germany.” He also penned an oped in a German newspaper recently, describing the party as the “last spark of hope” for the country. Musk is planning an online “discussion” on X with the AfD’s leader and candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, amplifying the party’s neo-Nazi ideology. 

attacking the Italian judiciary for curbing Italian Prime Giorgia Meloni’s hardline anti-asylum immigration policies. Musk has met regularly with Meloni, who has called him a friend, and appeared at a youth event for Meloni’s party. 

urging support for Britain’s far-right MP Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform U.K. Party. Musk says he might donate upward of 100 million pounds ($127 million) to Farage’s group. 

demanding Britain “free Tommy Robinson,” the far-right founder of the English Defence League — an Islamophobic, nationalist group and anti-immigrant agitator whom, Musk charges, is in jail for “telling the truth.” In fact, Robinson is in jail because he was found to have defamed a teenage Syrian refugee and then defied a British court order by repeating the false claims. (Robinson has been previously jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and traveling on a false passport to the United States, where he has sought to establish ties with right-wing groups.) 

allowing on X inflammatory lies of a kind that incited anti-immigrant riots in Britain last July, following the killing of three girls in a mass stabbing in the town of Southport. After Britain arrested more than 30 people, Musk condemned the government for what he called an attack on free speech.

calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau an “insufferable tool” over comments Trudeau made in support of Kamala Harris, and predicted he “won’t be in power for much longer.” (Yesterday, Trudeau announced he will resign.)

Where Musk is getting this power

As the richest person in the world, politicians everywhere now recognize his capacity to pour money into their parties and political campaigns, as he did by investing a quarter of a billion dollars to get Trump elected. 

He also owns X, formerly Twitter, which (as of December 2024) has 619 million monthly active users. He has manipulated X’s algorithm to boost his own posts, which now reach 210 million. 

But Musk’s real power these days comes from his proximity to and presumed influence over Donald Trump, soon to be President of the United States. 

Musk has hardly left Trump’s side since the election, meaning that Musks’s opinions (amplified by his social media platform) cannot be ignored by politicians around the world who are trying to decipher Trump’s opinions. 

One prominent member of Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party is asking that Germany determine “whether [Musk’s] repeated disrespect, defamation and interference in the election campaign were also expressed in the name of the new U.S. government.”

This combination — the richest person in the world, owner and manipulator of the biggest political messaging platform in the world, with direct influence over Trump — puts Musk in the position of being able to move other nations toward the neo-fascist right. 

Why Musk is doing this

Not for money. As it is, he has far more than any human can utilize. 

Partly, it’s ideological. He calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” which puts him at odds with Europe’s and Canada’s aggressive responses to hate speech online. (Britain, Musk says, “is turning into a police state.”)

But the roots of Musk’s neo-fascism probably go deeper. 

I am no psychoanalyst but I imagine that as an immigrant from South Africa, Musk is especially triggered by poor people of color moving into white nations. His father smuggled raw emeralds and had them cut in Johannesburg.

Part of his shift to the radical right also comes from Musk’s transgender child. As Musk told conservative commentator Jordan Peterson, “I lost my son, essentially,” claiming she was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus. I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus after that.” (Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, now 20, told NBC News that Musk was an absent father who was cruel to her as a child for being queer and feminine.) 

On X, Musk continuously criticizes transgender rights, including medical treatments for trans-identifying minors, and the use of pronouns if they are different from what would be used at birth. He has promoted anti-trans content and called for arresting people who provide trans care to minors. Last July, Musk said he was pulling his businesses out of California to protest a new state law that bars schools from requiring that trans kids be outed to their parents. After Musk bought X, then known as Twitter, in 2022, he rolled back the app’s protections for trans people, including a ban on using birth names (known as “deadnames” for transgender people).

Perhaps the major reason for Musk’s recent effort to push other nations to the neo-fascist right is his newfound thirst for right-wing global politics. After effectively (at least in Musk’s mind) winning the presidency for Trump by spending more than $250 million and unleashing a maelstrom of pro-Trump and anti-Harris lies over X, he now seeks even more of an authoritarian rush. 

It will not be the first time in history that someone is seduced by the thrill of unconstrained power, although it may be the first time that so much of it is concentrated in one unelected megalomaniac. 

What should be done about Musk?

For the time being, particularly under Trump, there is little that we in America can do to constrain Musk except by boycotting Tesla and X. 

Canada and Britain and other European nations, meanwhile, should, at the very least:

enact laws and regulations to prohibit non-citizens (like Musk) from financing activities that could affect their elections.

maintain, if not strengthen, laws and rules against hate speech, and ensure that they are applied to social media companies, such as Musk’s X. 

refuse to contract with Musk’s Space X and its Starlink satellite division, or with Musk’s other corporations (Tesla and the Boring Company).

disengage from any joint ventures or technology transfers involving Musk, including xAI, his artificial intelligence company. 

(If you’ve got other ideas, please include in the comments.)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Spencer Sunshine at The New Republic:

Presidents don’t just wield power directly; they set the mood for the country. It’s not uncommon for their grassroots base to flourish under their administration, as the far right did during Donald Trump’s first term in office. It is less common, however, for that base to remain strong after defeat. But, defying the odds, the MAGA movement continued to flourish under Joe Biden. Now, with Trump returning to the White House, the far right grassroots is barreling into 2025 with plenty of momentum, while their leader both helps set their agenda while sustaining it by crowd-sourcing their conspiracies and lies for his own use.

Issues and Themes

The far right is currently animated by several themes, many of them interrelated. For several years, demonizing “DEI” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) frameworks—which focus on identities, racial and otherwise—was an obsession. But the far right has gradually replaced DEI with “woke,” a vaguer and broader idea which can refer to the vast majority of left-leaning positions and be applied to any number of hot button, culture war topics.

The backlash over gender, sexuality, and reproductive rights continues, with trans issues front-and-center. After Roe v Wade was struck down in 2022, attacks on abortion rights increased. And when Trump was reelected, the slogan “Your Body, My Choice” spread like wildfire after being embraced by far right leaders like Nick Fuentes. Anti-immigrant rhetoric has also increased, particularly as Trump has promised to deport tens of millions. His racist vilification of immigrants was epitomized by his embrace of unfounded rumors that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio—who were, for what it’s worth, legal residents—were stealing and eating pets. Finally, completely discredited “race science” theories have returned, often focusing on bogus IQ studies. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has promoted them on his social media platform X, as has Trump, who has blamed violence by immigrants on “bad genes.”

Donald Trump

Donald Trump has different faces: the tax-cutting businessman, the international negotiator—and the authoritarian strongman. Sometimes he embraces different approaches at different times; mostly, though, he is everything at once: A demagogue and a xenophobe who is committing to cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy and who pitches himself as the only man who can keep the country—and the world—safe. Campaign promises have included setting up deportation camps for undocumented immigrants—in what he said would be a “bloody story”—and arresting critics and opponents including Kamala Harris, Mark Zuckerberg, and members of the January 6 House committee. Trump also said he’d consider banning vaccines and claims to have the power to halt congressional budget allocations.

His appointments have also been gifts to his far right base. The start of Trump’s first term was largely characterized by a raft of relatively moderate, establishment favorite picks, like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and chief of staff Reince Priebus. Now, the situation is quite different. Stalwart MAGA congressman Matt Gaetz was initially tapped to be attorney general until accusations of sex with underage girls quickly sunk him. Tulsi Gabbard, a sympathizer to dictatorships in Syria and Russia, was picked as his Director of National Intelligence. Arguably the most infamous selection was the appointment of Musk to a proposed advisory commission, DOGE (a reference to a dated internet meme, it stands for the “Department of Government Efficiency”). Musk himself has repeatedly tweeted support for anti-immigrant conspiracy theories and most recently for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far right party many consider crypto-Nazis.

The far right has two wings. One is openly white supremacist, and is vocally opposed to groups like people of color, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ people. The other is more moderate in its beliefs; people of color—themselves an increasing part of Trump’s base—are welcome, as are Jews. Both wings overlap in their hatred of “communism” (also a catch-all term for anything to the left of them), embrace of conspiracy theories, contempt for democracy, and desire for traditional social hierarchies.

The white supremacists and their moderate cousins often see-saw in popularity, one rising as the other falls. In recent years, the moderates have swung high. Moms for Liberty, which has focused on banning school library books—especially those with LGBTQ+ content but also ones with pro-diversity or antiracist messages—started 2024 with almost 300 chapters. But their influence has waned as the year went on. The notoriously violent Proud Boys, who played an important role in storming the Capitol four years ago, have faced even tougher times. With their leader Enrique Tarrio serving a twenty-two year sentence for his role in the assault on the Capitol, their scattered chapters now lack cohesion and focus.

One exception is the armed militia movement, which is having a mild revival. Hurt by a massive Facebook deplatforming in 2020, Tess Owen recently observed these groups “have been quietly reorganizing, ramping up recruitment and rhetoric” in recent months. Some groups hope to help Trump’s deportation scheme. Conversely, open white supremacists are doing quite well. Active Clubs—white supremacist MMA training gyms—are in full flourish, and have even expanded overseas. While they’ve had limited public activism, observers worry they could soon transform into a fully-fledged fighting force.

A new wave of swastika-waving neo-Nazis has emerged, too. The media-friendly Blood Tribe, who use striking aesthetics and a confrontational approach, were early promoters of the pet-eating rumor. A Columbus, Ohio march by their splinter group Hate Club 1488 grabbed so much attention that even President Biden denounced it. Blood Tribe was only one of three groups that descended on Nashville this year for public events. They were joined by the antisemitic Goyim Defense League, who spent two weeks harassing local residents, as well as Patriot Front, one of the largest U.S. fascist groups. All three groups represent a new, flourishing neo-Nazi movement—one that will likely continue to grow during Trump’s second term.

The New Republic reports on how Donald Trump is building an army of foot soldiers for his far-right agenda.

[idkjustlovingbts]

I know that nobody cares and that nobody will read this because I'm not an active blog, but I need to write this down. I'm so afraid. I'm a 24 year old german and I'm afraid because of the coming "Bundestag"-voting. I'm afraid that the right-winged party AFD is going to have a big part in ruling over Germany. I'm afraid of history repeating itself. I'm afraid for my best friend who's black. I'm afraid for me and my 8 year old nephew because we're both physically disabled and the AFD said bad things about disabled people. I'm afraid for future generations to have to grow up in an environment with Nazis. I'm afraid to get hurt or maybe have to leave my country because of my disability. I'm so afraid because nobody sees the danger of this party. Elon Musk posted about the AFD and supports them so they got even more cloud. Racism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism are so bad here because the AFD has so much influence, and everybody says that they won't have a big part in ruling over Germany. But they will, because they say what people want to hear and I'm just so afraid...

[mariacallous]

BERLIN — Several years ago, the newspaper where I am an editor in Germany made an unusual decision: We would not interview any politicians associated with Alternative for Germany, a political party that was then merely on the far-right fringe of public opinion.

It wasn’t a choice we took lightly. The Jüdische Allgemeine is the only Jewish weekly newspaper in Germany, and we strive to represent the entire Jewish community as well as its broad spectrum of political opinions.

But we made an exception for the party, known as AfD, because we wanted to make clear that what it stood for was beyond the pale of acceptable political discourse.

Lately, more and more Germans — including some German Jews — are disagreeing with that assessment.

Over the years, AfD has gained support across Germany. With about a month to go before national elections, it sits second in the polls. And among the party’s expanding base is a contingent of Jewish voters.

They are drawn to AfD’s agenda, which includes ridding the country of immigrants. They believe AfD’s claim that only the right can keep Jews safe during a frightening time.

Now, the richest man in the world and a top adviser to the U.S. president is making the same argument. This weekend, Elon Musk spoke remotely to an AfD rally of more than 4,000 people, telling them that the party is the country’s best and indeed only hope — and that “there is too much focus on past guilt” in Germany.

With the entire world looking to Germany, and with some Jews in the United States supporting Musk and his politics, I believe German Jews like myself who have watched the AfD’s rise closely have a perspective worth hearing. And my conclusion is still the same as it was all those years ago: AfD is an antisemitic party, no matter how much it says it’s good for the Jews.

On the surface, AfD positions itself as staunchly opposed to antisemitism. The party claims it is taking on the “real” enemies of Jewish life in Germany – namely, the left and Muslims. They assert that AfD is determined to take action against antisemites in its own ranks, citing the case of Wolfgang Gedeon, a former member of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament whose anti-Jewish conspiracy theories were too much even for the far-right party. It took a few years, but Gedeon was eventually expelled from the party.

In addition, the AfD has always sought to maintain strong relations with Israel, viewing the Jewish state as a bulwark against Islam, though thus far the feeling is not mutual. The former Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Jeremy Issacharoff, described statements made by AfD politicians as “highly offensive to Jews and Israel.”

Representatives of the Jewish community in Germany have adopted a similarly critical tone: In 2018 in a joint statement, numerous organizations, including the Central Council of Jews, called the AfD a “racist and anti-Semitic party” and “a danger to Jewish life.”

Those organizations are right to be cautious.

While AfD doesn’t hesitate to condemn antisemitism on the left, it trivializes or even denies antisemitism on the right. While we don’t have airtight data on what motivates antisemitic acts, one thing is clear: right-wing extremism has always been one of the greatest dangers for Jews. But for AfD, the anti-Semites are always on the other side. Anyone who is blind in one eye in this matter cannot credibly stand up for the safety of the entire Jewish community.

In some cases, the bigotry is emanating from the ranks of AfD itself. The party refrains from embracing overt resentment against Jews, but its politicians skillfully employ antisemitic innuendo, with regular talk of the “Great Reset” or the “Great Replacement,” names of conspiracies with antisemitic roots — all orchestrated by “globalists.” A global conspiracy orchestrated by a shadowy elite? It’s all too familiar.

AfD also famously seeks to close the chapter on Germany’s reckoning with National Socialism. Its leaders have said things like, “Our ancestors were not criminals,” decried the country’s “stupid coping policy” or described the Nazi era as “a blip in history.” While that historical mindset might resonate with people like Elon Musk, it is incompatible with Jewish life in Germany.

In order for Jews to remain in the land of the Holocaust’s perpetrators, the legacy of that atrocity must permanently play a central role in Germany’s self-image. This is also the meaning of “never again” – a formula that sounds like a mockery when it comes from the mouths of AfD politicians.

The threat AfD poses to Jews goes beyond rhetoric. If the party’s ideas on animal protection were to become law, it would become very difficult to keep kosher in Germany. In its 2021 party program, AfD not only rejected kosher butchering itself but also the importing of kosher meat. That would leave two choices for strictly observant Jews: becoming vegetarians or emigrating. In the current program for the federal elections in February, the AfD has weakened its position, now permitting ritual slaughter under anesthesia. But that would still change the status quo in Germany and remain incompatible with Jewish law.

What of AfD’s support for Israel? Since Oct. 7, 2023, hardly any other party has commented on the Hamas massacre as hesitantly and cautiously as AfD. The initial silence of the party’s leaders on the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust was broken after four days by co-chairman Tino Chrupalla expressing his grief for “all the war dead.” Chrupalla also recently spoke out against arms deliveries to the Jewish state. And unlike mainstream German parties, which are staunchly pro-Israel, AfD’s platform includes nothing about safeguarding Israel’s security — let alone words like “National Socialism” and “Holocaust.”

Through it all, the party has developed an antagonistic relationship with local Jewish communities and their representatives. Jörg Urban, the leading AfD candidate in Saxony, sees Jewish groups’ criticism of his party as nothing more than “statements of complacency,” adding that they are “all supported with public money.”

Another AfD politician said Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews, enjoys “the privileges that the Federal Republic of Germany has granted him,” but “nobody takes him seriously anymore.”

Like all authoritarian parties, including the Republicans under President Donald Trump, the AfD values loyalty above all. If you refuse to conform, consequences will follow. AfD offers two options for Jewish people: Either accept that right-wing antisemitism will be tolerated in future, the special relationship with Israel will be abandoned and Holocaust remembrance will be marginalized – or accept internal or external exile.

That’s not a choice German Jews should have to make — or one that we want to see our counterparts in other countries get trapped into making, either.

[eugenedebs1920]

MAGA: Make America Great Again. America first. America for Americans. These are all renditions of a movement that occurred in the early 20th century. A movement coattailed on the temperance movement. An incognito chance to practice discrimination and racism, masked in the guise of nationalism.

Nationalism, or nativism, has long been steeped into American history, its roots going back to the founding colonies. Ironically, and with astounding hypocrisy, this ideology excluded the actual native inhabitants of North America, proclaiming that only those of Anglo Saxon European descent were truly entitled to this land.

The slogan was popularized generally in Woodrow Wilson’s attempts to justify the stance of neutrality during the First World War but was quickly adopted by the second iteration of Klu Klux Klan at the start of the 1920’s. The Klan used prohibition as a vehicle for anti-immigrant, xenophobic and antisemitism activity, targeting taverns which acted as places of refuge, serving the meals of, speaking the languages, and evoking nostalgia for the ethnic community it served.

Although not a campaign tool of the Nazi party in the late 1920’s and 30’s, references of “make Germany great again” are littered throughout speeches made by Adolf Hitler. The phrase, “everything for Germany”, once etched into the knives of SS officers, are echoed in the rising neofascist right wing AfD party in their current “Germany first” campaign that mega billionaire Elon Musk endorsed a few weeks ago.

The isolationist of the America first party believed in a culture of white supremacy, with a hardline stance on immigration and a tendency toward antisemitism. This group was the legitimate face of the KKK. In 1924 U.S. representative, and America first enthusiast, Albert Johnson would introduce the Immigration Act of 1924, a highly exclusionary and xenophobic policy restricting immigration from nearly all Asian countries, and basing naturalization primarily upon ethnicity in the context of “racial homogeny” due to concerns of rapidly changing demographics. This was supported by the KKK and would be the primary immigration law until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

The embodiment of the maga perspective is held by Donald Trump. A man who’s documentation of bias and discrimination can be first seen on the public docket in 1973, and again in 1978, when he was found in violation of the Civil Rights Act on fair housing in a set of stings, offering better costs and incentives to white lease seekers than those of color seeking housing in his New York City properties.

The election of Americas First President of African descent brought forward certain aspects of American culture perceived to have been relinquished in the decades prior. Due to the strange and foreign sounding name, in tandem with the pigmentation of Barack Obama’s skin, a request was petitioned that no other president had been questioned about prior. The existence and legitimacy of his birth certificate, and in turn his citizenship all together. It would be known as birtherism.

As a white American, in 2008 it wasn’t a good look to directly express your disdain that a black man was the leader of the nation purely for the bigoted views one possessed, much like the America First movement was in the 1920’s, the TEA Party was spawned as the public face of white supremacy.

The pitch of the TEA party dog whistle wasn’t as incognito as they imagined it was. Racism was vehement in the signage, slogans and language expressed in their dislike, some read, ‘‘A Village in Kenya Is Missing Its Idiot: Deport Obama!’’ and, ‘‘Congress = Slave Owner; Taxpayer = N**gar,’’ also, ‘‘Imam Obama Wants to Ban Pork: Don’t Let Him Steal Your Meat,’’ this accompanied by endless accusations regarding whether or not he was Muslim despite his Christian upbringing and continued participation in the faith.

A big contributor to the race bating was a man who’s poor management skills and rampant corruption would cause six companies he owned to fail and file bankruptcy, staring in a role made for TV, cosplay successful businessman and known slumlord Donald Trump. It was on Good Morning America, in 2011, via telephone that Donald Trump would first question the origins and legitimacy of Obama’s citizenship, an inquiry he had not posed to any previous holder of the presidency in his lifetime.

Fast forward a bit, and that same reality tv personality would come down the guilded stairs in a building that bore his name yet he held no capital in, Trump would announce his bid for president.

Much like his future campaigns, the 2016 run was riddled with gaffs and buffoonery. The once revered GOP was shocked when he would win the primaries and lead the ticket. Tethered to Trump and the immature and unpresidential antics he routinely displayed, Republicans were at odds.

After a bizarre, divisive, controversial and particularly hostile campaign Trump would go on to defeat Hillary Clinton, although losing the popular vote by over 3 million votes.

Trumps quasi overt racist and sexist rhetoric would lead to a nearly 20% increase in hate crimes from the start of his term in 2016, according to a report from November 2020 by the FBI. The report goes on to show that racially motivated homicide reached it highest levels in three decades by the end of 2019.

The amount of hate murders committed by white supremacists ticked ever larger throughout the duration of Trumps term from just 3 in 2016, to 12 in 2017, then 17 in 2018, followed by a staggering 51 in 2019.

To protest the removal of statues dedicated to confederate military figures who fought against their own countrymen as to keep Africans stolen from their country of origin and forced to work as slaves for wealthy plantation owners in the south, Charlottesville Virginia would host the “Unite the Right” gathering on August 11-12 of 2017.

This march would showcase hundreds of white supremest , neo-Nazis, neo-confederates, far right militias, klansmen and the alt-right, walking through the streets of Charlottesville brandishing swastica flags, valknut, and confederate flags, carrying torches and chanting “You will not replace us. Jews will not replace us. You will not replace us.”.

The next day a counter protest of significant proportion halted this display of jubilant hatred. The Virginia governor would declare a state of emergency as the protesters and counter protestors clashed. At roughly 1:45 pm on Aug 12th, self proclaimed white supremest Alex Fields Jr. would intentionally ram his vehicle into a crowd of counter protestors injuring 35 and killing a young woman named Heather Heyer.

When pressed for comment Trump would respond by condemning the "display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides". When the death of Heather Heyer again was asked about and what Trump thought of the murder Trump would respond “There were very fine people on both sides”. (As MTG would screech, say her name!)

In the 2020 presidential debates this event would come up. As Chris Wallace attempted to coax a condemnation out of Trump the best he could get was trump saying to the proud boys (a white supremest group) “proud boys, stand back and stand by”. Never condemning the ideology or violence perpetrated that day or generally.

Trump lost the 2020 election. After the loss his rampant malignant narcissism prevented the acceptance of this loss. For months he lied to the American people, claiming that the election had been rigged or stolen. Scheming and creating slates of fake electors to cheat and in turn subvert the American democratic process. When this didn’t work he gathered his supporters to Washington DC.

January 6th, 2021 was a dark day for America. A mob, incited by the lies and propaganda Trump had been spewing, attacked the capital. It would lead to hundreds of injured police officers, with 2 police casualties and one civilian.

Of the groups that defiled our capital that day were none other than the proud boys, and the oath keepers.

Over 1,500 people would be charged for their actions that day. Of those people the man who instigated the entire thing, Donald Trump, would not be one of them.

Four years later, with the help of a compromised Supreme Court, Trump installed judges, a traditionalist attorney general, an influx of money from billionaires and corporations thanks to the Citizens United decision, Joe Biden, and the willful ignorance of the American people, this disgraced, twice impeached, adjudicated rapist, felon, convicted fraudster, seditionist, and insurrectionist, with no shame for his transgressions, would weasel his way back in office.

In his first day as president the second time around he would pardon ALL the criminals that had been charged for their role in the Jan 6th attack. Sending a clear message.

This message is, and will be heard loud and clear by these hate groups. That Trump’s America condones racism. That the white race is the superior race. That if you commit crimes in favor of Donald Trump you will be let off for your actions.

All this occurred after his primary campaign donor, who spent $240 million getting him elected, would end a speech by giving not one, but two separate Nazi solutes, then joke about it on the platform he repurchased, X, on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Donald Trump , on day one of term two would end all federal DEI programs. He would nullify LBJ’s Equal Opportunity Act. He would make a dictatorial decree that trans people are not seen by the government. He would begin an operation of terror for all migrants looking for a better life in America and initiate a campaign of mass deportations.

More and more neo-Nazis and white supremest groups become ever emboldened by the stance their great leader takes. More and more they peer their ugliness from the shadows and into the public sphere.

This is America. This is the country I love. Every day I am ashamed. I didn’t, never have and never would, support that failure of a human. Yet every day I am represented through his deeds. It pains me to the core. I hope it gets better but the first week hasn’t even lapsed yet.

For the sake of Americas future, for our children and their children, in the name of decency and democracy, Never obey in advance. Never surrender your sense of honor or your stance on equality. And resist!

I’m going to end this with some words from scholar, historian and author Timothy Snyder:

Don’t obey in advance. Anticipatory obedience is one of the greatest constraints on the degrees of freedoms.

Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do. – Timothy Snyder

[allthegeopolitics]

Elon Musk has caused outrage after he threw his support behind a far-right political party in Germany, lauding them as the country’s saviour. In a post on Musk’s own social media platform X, he wrote that “only” the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can “save Germany”. He also shared a video of a German right-wing influencer named Naomi Seibt, who is known for supporting AfD and for being a climate change-denier. Musk’s tweet – and Seibt’s video – comes just weeks before a snap election is due to happen in Germany.

Continue Reading

[saywhat-politics]

The man believed to have killed at least five people after driving into Christmas market shoppers in Germany is a fan of Elon Musk and backs "conspiracy ideologue" Alex Jones, according to German publication Der Spiegel.

A child was believed to be among the dead, and dozens were seriously injured after the man, identified by local press as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, is said to have driven into the crowds in Magdeburg. German authorities have identified the 50-year-old Saudi doctor in custody simply as Taleb A.

Der Spiegel and social media users reported that an X account that appeared to be affiliated to the suspect, made comments supporting Musk and Jones, as well as the far-right German party AfD (Alternative for Germany).

The suspect, according to Der Spiegel said: "What Musk says, what Alex Jones says, or anyone who is labeled a radical or a right-wing extremist by mainstream media—they're telling the truth."

Newsweek reached out to Musk via X and Jones via InfoWars for comment.

[maaarine]

Today in Focus: Alice Weidel: the far-right banker Elon Musk wants as German chancellor

"Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly charts the rise of Alice Weidel, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland candidate for chancellor."

The Global Story: Will Germany lift the firewall around the AfD?

"Since the end of the Second War and Nazi rule, Germany has been hyper-vigilant about keeping right-wing hardliners out of government.

For decades, mainstream politicians have shunned parties like the AfD.

But now, with a federal election just weeks away and the AfD rising in the polls, a frontrunner in the race for chancellor has accepted the party's support on an immigration bill. It's an unprecedented step.

But does it mean the far-right is being normalised?"

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Badash at NCRM:

Vice President-elect JD Vance, the Republican Senator from Ohio, is facing criticism both domestically and internationally for endorsing and seemingly defending an op-ed by Elon Musk that is supportive of a far-right German political party reportedly linked to neo-Nazis. The New York Times late last month described the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, as “a group with ties to neo-Nazis whose youth wing has been classified as ‘confirmed extremist’ by German domestic intelligence.” The paper of record also noted that AfD has been “called a threat to German democracy” by Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others. [...] On Thursday, Vance reposted a thread containing what is allegedly Musk’s op-ed translated into English, titled, “Only the AfD Can Save Germany.”

The Vice President-elect then wrote: “I’m not endorsing a party in the German elections, as it’s not my country and we hope to have good relations with all Germans. But this is an interesting piece. Also interesting; American media slanders AfD as Nazi-lite, But AfD is most popular in the same areas of Germany that were most resistant to the Nazis.” Vance’s remarks were quickly criticized, with some discussing post-World War II German reunification in 1990, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, to explain how geography has little to do with opposing Nazism. Others suggested Vance’s geographic claim was actually wrong. And despite Vance’s claim, The Economist as some noted, in 2019 reported: “Post-war population transfers changed politics across Germany,” and added that “a new paper finds an uncomfortable overlap between the parts of Germany that support the afd and those that voted for the Nazis in 1933. At first glance, the link is invisible. The Nazis fared well in northern states like Schleswig-Holstein; the afd did best in the former East Germany.”

VP-elect JD Vance praised German Nazi-adjacent far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) Party, falsely claimed that AfD is most popular in the same areas of Germany that were most resistant to the Nazis.

WRONG, JD: The areas where the AfD were the strongest were generally the same areas the Nazis were strongest in.

[head-post]

German universities no longer post on X from their official accounts

More than 55 universities and research institutes in Germany announced on Friday that they will no longer publish material on Elon Musk’s social media platform X from their official accounts, German media reported.

The public broadcaster RBB cited a statement by the Federal Association of University Communication:

“The conditions for an open exchange no longer exist. The door has been opened to hatred, disinformation and manipulation under the cloak of supposed freedom of expression.” 

According to Silke Engel, spokeswoman for the University of Potsdam, earlier in the day its management decided to close its official account on the social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, after more than 13 years of existence. Engel said:

“We have been watching X for a long time and have not been as active there as we once were there for a few months because of the political developments. We said to ourselves that we are a place for fact-based exchange, open discourse and transparency that is no longer the case.”

On Thursday, two major German trade unions, the United Service Workers’ Union (Verdi) and the Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW), left X after some 15 years of operation.

Both workers’ organisations criticised the platform as “a forum for spreading right-wing extremist positions, hatred and agitation, hostility to democracy and disinformation.” It is becoming increasingly clear that the platform’s algorithms “favour anti-democratic narratives,” the unions stressed.

The latest developments come amid sharp criticism from Germany’s political establishment of Musk for interfering in the February 23 general election.

The US tech billionaire, who will be an adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, on Thursday reiterated his strong support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the election. Musk said in an online talk on X with AfD leader Alice Weidel:

“If you are unhappy with the situation, you must vote for change. And that is why I’m really strongly recommending that people vote for AfD. That’s why that’s my strong recommendation. And I think this is simply the sensible move. In fact, I, as I’ve said publicly, I think only AfD can save Germany. And I just want to be very clear about that: Only AfD can save Germany, end of story. And people really need to get behind the AfD, otherwise things gonna get very, very much worse in Germany.”

Last week, the German government openly accused Musk of trying to influence the country’s election campaign by showing his support for AfD.

On Wednesday, Germany’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman called on German cabinet members to close their social media X accounts because of Musk’s posts about German politics.

In December, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) decided not to post any more content on Elon Musk’s X from January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump officially becomes the 47th president of the US.

Read more HERE

[mariacallous]

On Thursday, Elon Musk agreed with the leader of a far-right German political party that Adolf Hitler was a communist and that left-wing groups who support Palestinian causes have more in common with Nazis than with her own party.

The deeply weird and disinformation-filled conversation between Musk and Alice Weidel, the leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), took place on X. It came after weeks of Musk’s efforts to boost the far-right party, which has deep links to neo-Nazism and has been surveilled for suspected extremism by Germany’s own intelligence services.

“[Hitler] was a communist, and he considered himself as a socialist,” Weidel said in response to Musk asking about media reports linking the AfD to Nazism.

“The biggest success after that terrible era in our history was to label Adolf Hitler as right[-wing] and conservative, he was exactly the opposite,” Weidel said. “He wasn't a conservative, he wasn't a libertarian, he was a communist, socialist guy, and we are the opposite.”

“Right,” Musk responded.

In his autobiography Mein Kampf, Hitler—who as leader of the German Reich was responsible for the invasion of the Soviet Union and the enslavement and death of millions of its citizens—repeatedly describes communism as an enemy of the German nation. He believed that Marxism was a Jewish conspiracy to control Germany and the world.

Weidel also compared the Nazi Party’s views to those of modern-day left-wing political groups who support Palestine in the face of what a UN commission has called crimes against humanity conducted by Israel. While her AfD colleagues were last month seen attending a secretive meeting organized by former members of a militant neo-Nazi group known for burning the Israeli flag, she said, “The AfD is the ​​only protector of the Jewish people here in Germany.”

Weidel is the AfD’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s snap elections, which take place next month. As someone who previously worked in finance and lives in Switzerland with her wife, who is from Sri Lanka, and their children, she has been presented as a relatively moderate face for the party.

This is something Musk picked up on in an op-ed he penned last month for a German newspaper.

"The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party's leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka,” Musk wrote. “Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!”

Ahead of the conversation on Thursday, the EU said that it would be monitoring the event to see if it was artificially promoted to voters in Germany, something which would be in violation of the region’s sweeping Digital Service Act rules. A European Commission spokesperson told WIRED it would not be commenting on the contents of the livestream.

Weidel referenced the EU’s preoccupation with the conversation, claiming 150 officials at the EU commission were listening in, then claimed the DSA was a censorship tool, before adding: “You know what Adolf Hitler did? He switched off free speech. He controlled the media, and without that he would have never been successful.”

“Yes, exactly,” Musk responded.

The conversation, which was billed as an interview but was more of a love-in, hit virtually event major culture war topic, from the war in Ukraine, where Weidel suggested European government’s lack of strategy would push Russia toward nuclear war, to immigration, where Musk wildly claimed that “on the Mexican side of the border in the US is a giant pile of discarded passports and drivers’ licenses, like a huge pile.”

It was unclear what Musk was talking about, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk also claimed that “basically theft is legal in California” and said that the only thing that would slow down what “the influx of criminals” were stealing is “if your back hurts from carrying out all the goods.”

The centibillionaire’s interest in German politics, and the AfD in particular, appear to have been largely informed by a single X user, Naomi Seibt, a 24-year-old German influencer who rose to prominence by posting climate change and Covid-19 denial content.

After she posted an image of herself in June saying she had voted for the AfD in last year’s European elections, Musk shared her post, asking: “Why is there such a negative reaction from some about AfD?”

He then slid into her DMs, Seibt told Reuters. "I explained to him the AfD is not similar to the Nazi ideology or Hitler but is like the 19th century liberal nationalist movement ... because they wanted to be free from authoritarians in their own territory," Seibt told the outlet.

Musk engaged with the 24-year-old 40 more times before sharing one of her posts on December 20 with the comment: “Only the AfD can save Germany.” A week later an op-ed with Musk’s byline appeared in the German Welt am Samstag newspaper claiming that the AfD was the “last spark of hope” for Germany.

Musk repeated his endorsement during the livestream, saying, “I think Alice Weidel is a very reasonable person, and hopefully people can tell just from this conversation. Nothing outrageous is being proposed, just common sense.”

It’s unclear whether Musk’s endorsement of Weidel and the AfD will have any material impact on the outcome of the election.

“In the first survey we conducted this year, we found that this has not yet benefited the AfD,” Manfred Güllner, the head of the Forsa Institute, told Politico. “I don’t see very much potential for future change, because Musk has become a negative figure.”