Elon Musk expressed support for Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany party, known as AfD, after a Saudi immigrant allegedly killed at least five people in a Christmas terror attack.
AfD’s popularity has surged as it has called for significant restrictions on immigration to Germany. Since Friday’s attack, AfD members have ramped up criticism of the government for its lax approach to immigration and for failing to heed multiple warning signs about the suspected perpetrator.
“When will this madness end?” AfD co-leader and the party’s chancellor nominee Alice Weidel said in a post on X.
Musk has used his expansive platform on X to support the AfD in Friday’s aftermath, calling the immigration-restrictionist party “the only hope for Germany.” In another post on X, Musk said that
“[The suspect] was obviously a lunatic who should never have been allowed to enter Germany and should have been extradited when Saudi Arabia made the request,” Musk said in another post. “Suicidal empathy by the German government.”
Accused of pushing “Nazi-era ideology” and labeled “far-right,” AfD is one of the most popular parties in Germany and its nominee for chancellor, Weidel, is a 45-year-old economist who has worked for Goldman Sachs and the Bank of China. Weidel, a lesbian whose partner is a Sri Lankan national, has called the late U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher her political role model.
A draft of AfD’s party platform, set to be voted on next month, emphasizes restrictions on immigration, lower taxes, severing ties with the European Union, adopting a gold-backed currency system, and protecting free speech and criticism of the government.
Weidel thanked Musk for his support in a video posted to X.
“Dear Elon, thank you so much for your note. The Alternative for Germany, the AFD, is indeed the one and only alternative for our country, our last option, if you ask me. I wish you and President Donald Trump all the best for the upcoming tenure. And also I wish you and all the American people Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” Weidel said.
Dear @elonmusk,
Thank you so much for your note. The Alternative for Germany is indeed the one and only alternative for our country; our very last option. I wish you and President Donald #Trump all the best for the upcoming tenure! And also, I wish you and all the American people… pic.twitter.com/iVBfPDoRfp— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) December 20, 2024
On Friday evening, a man drove a vehicle through the Magdeburg, Germany, Christmas market and killed at least five people and seriously wounded dozens of others. According to reports, the suspected attacker is Saudi immigrant who arrived in Germany in 2006.
Debate over the suspect’s ideological background has erupted online. His social media posts suggest that he is an atheist ex-Muslim who has raged against the German government for its treatment of Saudi asylum seekers. But others have said the suspect’s social media presence was a facade for his actual feelings as a radical Muslim, with private messages and other social media posts to back up the assertion.
Video from the man’s arrest that has circulated online captures someone yelling “Allahu Akbar” as the suspect was taken into custody. It is not clear if the suspect himself yelled the phrase.
