“It's been ten years […] who would have imagined it?”: Macron accuses Elon Musk of supporting “a new reactionary international” and of interference in elections “including in Germany”

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Monday January 6, without mentioning him by name, the boss of .

“Ten years ago, if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new reactionary international movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany, who would have imagined it?” President Macron during a speech to French ambassadors in Paris, in reference to the American billionaire's continued support for the German far-right party, AfD.

On December 20, Elon Musk interfered in the German electoral campaign by calling the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) the “savior of the country”. “Only the AfD can save Germany,” Elon Musk wrote on his social media platform, X. He had already expressed his support for the AfD in 2023, when he criticized the management of illegal immigration by the German government. This time, he even wrote a pro-AfD column in Die Welt, one of the largest German dailies.

Using the same process that brought Donald Trump back to the head of the United States, Musk projects his political influence in Europe, always for the benefit of the hard right: he calls for new elections in the United Kingdom, supports the German far right, crushes the European Commission… This Monday, Musk described British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “totally despicable”, who accused him of spreading “lies and disinformation” on the management of a case of sexual exploitation of young girls and minors in England.

“Freedom of expression is at the heart of our democracies”

At the end of December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the billionaire's “erratic statements”, as well as his support for the AfD, while an interview between Musk and Alice Weidel, the co-president of the far-right party, is planned for this Thursday January 9. “How can we balance free expression and avoid the manipulation of German legislative elections by a network as powerful as X?” asked Le Point on January 6.

“Freedom of expression is at the heart of our democracies,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said on Monday. As our colleagues point out, Musk is subject to the obligations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which require large platforms to “analyze and mitigate systemic risks, in particular those weighing on electoral processes”. As a reminder, the DSA, which entered into force on August 25, 2023, regulates large digital platforms and strengthens consumer protection.

However, Musk also has the fundamental right as a citizen to express his political opinions. A complex equation for the Commission, while an investigation against X for possible violations of the DSA was already opened on December 18 by Brussels.