Elon Musk posted on X that the Friday night terrorist attack in Magdeburg, Germany, which left five dead and almost 200 injured, is the “direct result of mass, unregulated migration.”
This is the second controversial post about Germany the multi-billionaire has made within just a few days. In his previous one, he wrote that “only the AfD can save Germany,” meaning that he believes the far-right party will solve the country’s problems. Previously, he had written that the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is not far-right but has a philosophy of “sensible politics.”
Musk published his post on migration before law enforcement was able to determine the Magdeburg perpetrator’s motives. According to German magazine Der Spiegel, the perpetrator is a Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany for almost 20 years, has renounced Islam, and writes fiery posts against Islamists on social media. Furthermore, he has sympathies for the AfD and Elon Musk.
Nevertheless, Elon Musk’s rhetoric is laced with anti-migration views and criticism of the governments of Germany and Britain for their inability to control migrants and migrant flows.
On November 8th, Elon Musk called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “crazy” after the collapse of Germany’s coalition government, an event that will lead the country to early elections on February 23, 2025.
In a previous post, he had also called for the resignation of Scholz for his inefficiency on the migration issue. The German Chancellor responded indirectly to Musk. During a press conference, he quipped: “Freedom of speech also applies to billionaires.”
“But freedom of speech also means that we can say things that are not correct and are not good political advice,” he added.
Criticism of British politics
Musk has also shown an active interest in British politics, raising alarm both in the Labour Party, a favorite target of the billionaire, and in the Conservatives, who see him supporting Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK party.
Specifically, concern has emerged over Musk’s potentially donating $100 million to Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK party. On Monday, Farage, who was elected to the European Parliament in July, met with the billionaire at Trump’s Florida home and told the BBC that Musk wanted to “help” his party.
According to an article by Farage in The Daily Telegraph, “Musk stated that the Labour Party and the Conservative Party are one and the same and left us in no doubt that he supports us.”
Tory deputy leader Dominic Johnson was quick to accuse the US billionaire of “buying” Reform UK, whose rise in the recent British general election helped crush the Conservatives.
Οverall, the multi-billionaire seems to not favor traditional European political parties, leaning instead toward ones on the right.