On Thursday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded into the debate about whether Elon Musk gave a “Nazi salute”. He wrote: “Elon Musk is being falsely smeared. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” He added: “He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state. I thank him for this.”
Earlier, Elon Musk's ex defended him. The Canadian singer and mother of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's three children, namely Grimes, has recently and publicly denounced Nazism following Elon Musk's controversial salute during the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, which many likened to a Nazi gesture.
Grimes, in her post on X (formerly known as Twitter), expressed her discontent with the backlash she faced for the actions of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, stating that she was completely unaware of the incident until it had already occurred. She also emphasized her desire to distance herself from Elon Musk's controversies, asserting that 'I am not him' and criticizing the notion that she should be held accountable for his actions.
In response, Musk dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless and stating that the gesture was taken out of context. While some organizations suggested the action was not intentional, others described it as highly inappropriate and reminiscent of fascist symbolism.
The incident had significant repercussions on social media, with several communities banning links to Musk's platform, X (formerly Twitter), citing concerns over the spread of extremist content. This reflected growing dissatisfaction with Musk's perceived alignment with far-right ideologies.
Reactions to the incident varied globally. Some defended Musk, citing his support for certain causes, while others condemned him, urging him to educate himself on the historical implications of his actions.
The controversy also escalated into a dispute between Musk and Wikipedia after the platform documented the incident, with Musk accusing Wikipedia of bias and propaganda. Wikipedia’s founder defended the site’s neutrality and commitment to factual reporting.
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