If I see one more damn Nazi salute in my feed, I’m gonna lose my mind 🤪
This algorithm sucks!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 24, 2025
Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur and key ally of President Donald Trump, has come under fire for making what appeared to be Nazi-style salutes during Trump’s inauguration rally in Washington, D.C. Amy Spitalnick, the chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a prominent Jewish civil rights organization, has expressed serious concerns about Musk’s behavior, warning that it could act as an incitement for violent extremists. “The salute itself should be enough to warrant condemnation and attention,” Spitalnick said. “The ways extremists see an action like this and take it as license for their own violent extremism should also be a cause for alarm.”
It says a lot, does it not when @elonmusk and @netanyahu are one of a kind, and see eye to eye. https://t.co/GWx9eDzhf9
— Robert Mood. (@MoodRobert) January 24, 2025
Spitalnick, who previously led Integrity First for America, a non-profit that successfully sued participants of the 2017 far-right march in Charlottesville, emphasized the importance of calling out such actions for what they are.
“Gave the Roman salute is just the euphemistic way of saying ‘Nazi salute’,” she added. Musk’s actions have not been isolated incidents. He has previously expressed support for Alternative für Deutschland, a German far-right party known for its Nazi-like views.
As Elon Musk courts the far-right parties of Europe , why would anyone think he was making a Hitler salute? https://t.co/XsTnWl12cI
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) January 25, 2025
Furthermore, during Trump’s inauguration, Musk’s salute was warmly received on far-right platforms.
"A Milwaukee TV weather forecaster has been dropped by her station one day after she criticized Elon Musk on social media for his straight-arm gesture that many have likened to a Nazi salute."https://t.co/B7xgYRpT2D
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) January 23, 2025
Despite Musk’s attempts to downplay the gestures and his previous apology for endorsing a controversial post on his social media platform, X, Spitalnick remains unconvinced by his gestures of contrition.
Musk’s salute sparks extremist concerns
“[Musk] is not a random third party,” Spitalnick emphasized. “He is a senior member of the administration who gave a Nazi salute from the presidential podium. There’s no world in which that doesn’t lead to more hate and extremism that will make Jews and so many other communities less safe.”
Not all pressure groups have condemned Musk’s actions, however.
The Anti-Defamation League described his gesture as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” a stance with which the JCPA fundamentally disagrees. As outcry over Musk’s salutes continues, Spitalnick remains resolute in her determination to fight back through legal means, referencing her experience working in the New York attorney general’s office during Trump’s first term. In Germany, authorities are investigating images projected onto the Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin, involving Musk allegedly performing a Nazi-style salute.
The British campaign group Led By Donkeys, in collaboration with the German satirical Center for Political Beauty, has claimed responsibility for the stunt, which included the phrase “Heil Tesla” – a play on the notorious “Heil Hitler.”
German security services are now investigating the incident under laws prohibiting the use of symbols linked to anti-constitutional organizations. Musk has not yet commented on the incident but had earlier dismissed accusations that he made Nazi salutes as “tired” attacks.
Cameron is a highly regarded contributor in the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. His articles delve into the theoretical underpinnings of AI, the practical applications of machine learning across industries, ethical considerations of autonomous systems, and the societal impacts of these disruptive technologies.
