Overview

• Elon Musk made a virtual appearance at the Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign rally, calling the far-right party 'Germany's best hope' ahead of the February 23 federal election.
• Musk urged Germans to embrace national pride, criticized multiculturalism, and suggested the country should move on from its historical guilt over Nazi-era atrocities.
• The rally in Halle, attended by 4,500 AfD supporters, coincided with protests in Berlin, Cologne, and other cities, where tens of thousands demonstrated against the rise of far-right extremism.
• Musk’s comments follow accusations of making a Nazi-like salute at Trump’s inauguration and his recent Nazi-related jokes on X, fueling criticism from international leaders and Jewish organizations.
• Mainstream German political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, which is polling at 20%, as the country faces political and economic uncertainty after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government.