European leaders denounce Musk’s influence in politics

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Elon Musk of meddling in European politics, joining other continental leaders in criticising the billionaire’s support for Germany’s far-right AfD ahead of the country’s elections.

French President Emmanuel Macron has joined other European leaders criticising Elon Musk, accusing the billionaire of directly interfering in the continent's democratic processes, including Germany's upcoming snap federal elections. 

Macron's comments came during a speech to French ambassadors, where he refrained from naming Musk explicitly but left little doubt about the target of his remarks.

"Ten years ago, who could have imagined that the owner of one of the world's largest social networks would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany," Macron said, addressing concerns about Musk's influence.

The criticism follows Musk's support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, describing it as Germany's "last spark of hope," in a controversial op-ed for Welt am Sonntag. 

Musk also announced to his 211 million followers on X that he will be hosting a live conversation with co-chairwoman of AfD Alice Weidel this Thursday. Germany's general elections are set to take place on 23 February 2025.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has also voiced concerns, stating that it was "worrying" to see someone with Musk's "enormous access to social media and huge economic resources" directly involve himself in other countries' internal affairs. Støre emphasised that such actions were inappropriate between democratic allies, especially with Norway's own general elections approaching this September.

The Germany government has called out Musk by his name. "We act as if Mr Musk's statements... could influence a country of 84 million people with untruths or half-truths or expressions of opinion. This is simply not the case," a spokesperson said.  

"The normal people, the sensible people, the decent people are far in the majority in this country," they added. 

Musk's backing of the AfD has fueled concerns across Europe, particularly as the party has been classified as a suspected extremist group by German intelligence. 

His support comes amid broader tensions between Musk and several European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently faced attacks from Musk over his handling of the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal involving grooming gangs of predominantly South Asian men. 

Starmer, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) up until 2013, was accused by Musk of being "complicit in the rape of Britain."

When asked at a conference on Monday about Musk's X comments about Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, Starmer said: "Those that are spreading lies and disinformation as far and wide as possible are not interested in victims. They're interested in themselves. Those who are cheerleading Tommy Robinson aren't interested in justice. They're supporting a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing a grooming case, a gang grooming case.

"These are people getting some sort of vicarious thrill from the street violence people like Tommy Robinson promote. And those that are attacking Jess Philips, who I'm proud to call a colleague and a friend, are not protecting victims."

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed Musk's actions, telling Stern magazine, "don't feed the troll" and calling his comments "erratic". 

"I don't believe in courting Mr. Musk's favour. I'm happy to leave that to others," he added, hinting at Musk's cosy relationship with Trump and his heavy involvement in the United States' 2024 Presidential elections. 

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