BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday sharply criticized Elon Musk’s backing of the right-wing parties in the European Union, calling it “really disgusting” and said it was hindering democracy in the bloc.
The U.S. billionaire and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump has multiple times attacked the chancellor and his government, calling on him to resign and saying that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is the country’s only saviour.
“What is new is that he is intervening in favour of right-wing politicians all over Europe. And this is really disgusting and it is not good for the democratic development in all the European Union,” Scholz responded in English to a journalist’s question after a campaign event in Berlin.
Most recently, Musk made a surprise appearance at the AfD’s campaign event via video link and said the Germans should not be guilty of their parents’ sins and should be proud of their culture.
“I am absolutely critical about what Elon Musk said about the history of Germany,” Scholz said, adding that his country will continue to bear responsibility for the things that have been done by Germans in the past.
This week the world is remembering the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, Scholz added. “This killing of so many Jews and other people in Europe done by Germans in the past, this is a historic responsibility”.
Germany is thankful to the U.S. for freeing it from Nazis and helping it to become a democracy again, Scholz said, adding, “and this is why I am so angry about Elon Musk intervening for the far-right”.
Last week, the world’s richest person caused uproar after he made a gesture that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute during Trump’s inauguration festivities.
The anti-immigration, anti-Islam AfD is labelled as right-wing extremist by German security services but is currently polling second in nationwide surveys before the upcoming snap election in the country, where the debate on immigration magnified after a string of violent attacks by foreign-born suspects.
(This story has been refiled to correct the spelling of Scholz in the headline)
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Andrey Sychev; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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