SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch has expressed sharp criticism of US entrepreneur and Trump advisor Elon Musk, after the latter renewed his election appeal for the AfD in a guest article for the Welt am Sonntag.
“It is unacceptable that foreign billionaires try to influence our political landscape and support parties that undermine our democratic values” Miersch told the Handelsblatt. Germany needs no outside interference and “certainly no support for extreme right-wing positions.”
Musk had claimed the AfD was the last glimmer of hope for Germany. “That the Springer Verlag even offers Elon Musk an official platform to make election propaganda for the AfD is embarrassing and dangerous” said Miersch. The incident shows “how far right networks have advanced so far.”
At the same time, Miersch praised the behavior of the Welt journalists who had protested against the publication of the article. The reactions within the Welt am Sonntag editorial team gave hope – they showed that there were still journalists “who take responsibility and show clear stance even in difficult times.”
Musk’s guest article had triggered broad criticism, including from the German Journalists’ Association (DJV). “The responsible people at Welt have done everything wrong that can be done wrong” said DJV chairman Mika Beuster. “As journalism disguised as election propaganda for an extreme right-wing party, a flattering distance that is not, and the silencing of internal critics – unbelievable.” The DJV chief called on all editorial teams to not “instrumentalize” themselves in the Bundestag election campaign and to “handle guest articles extremely carefully.