German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered only an indirect answer when asked about tech billionaire Elon Musk during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
Musk, who had previously weighed in on German politics to endorse and promote the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), appeared to make a Nazi salute during US President Donald Trump's inauguration festivities in Washington on Monday.
Scholz, asked about Musk on Tuesday, said he would "just ... repeat what I already said" about the billionaire boss of companies including Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X.
"We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany, everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire," Scholz said. "And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions. And this is what I would like to repeat again."
Musk, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Trump's election campaign, gave a speech on stage before the president's arrival at Washington's Capital One Arena on Monday.
He thanked the new president's supporters, then held his right hand to his heart - and then emphatically extended it upwards in one swift movement. He then repeated the gesture in a different direction.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Musk dismissed those accusing him of having given the Nazi salute.
"Frankly, they need better dirty tricks," Musk wrote. "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/scholz-cites-freedom-speech-davos-144129576.html
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