In the early hours of Donald Trump's second term, who was sworn in on Monday January 20, Elon Musk provoked numerous reactions by performing twice during a meeting in Washington a salute that some described as “fascist” or from « nazi »while others defended “a clumsy gesture”.
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During this meeting at the Capital One Arena, where Republican activists were gathered, the boss of right hand, then extend your arm with your palm open. He then repeated the gesture, turning to the rest of the crowd behind him.
“Well, it didn’t take long.”criticized Democratic congressman Jimmy Gomez on X, in reaction to an image of Mr. Musk making this salute on stage. “It seems like he was holding back for a while and was finally able to let go.”commented former Democratic elected official Cori Bush on X. Elon Musk reacted on his social network by denouncing the “twisted blows” of these adversaries. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is so outdated”he quipped.
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has made numerous declarations of support for the Alternative für Deutschland (German far-right party), for the far-right Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni (present at the inauguration of Donald Trump), and to Reform UK, the anti-immigration British party). “Elon Musk knew precisely what he was doing with that fascist Roman salute at the Trump rally today – part of his explicit embrace of far-right policies and parties”castigated Amy Spitalnick, boss of the Jewish organization JCPA, in a press release.
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Historians differ
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an association fighting anti-Semitism, which has clashed with the billionaire in the past, has this time come to his defense. “It appears that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute”wrote the organization on X. Left-wing elected official Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed this reaction from the ADL. “You defend a “Heil Hitler” salute performed and repeatedlamented the Democrat on X. People can officially stop looking to you as a credible source of information. »
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Historians differ on the meaning of such a gesture. The historian Claire Aubin, a specialist in Nazism in the United States, estimated that Elon Musk's gesture was indeed a ” Sieg Heil “the Nazi salute. Another expert historian on fascism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat also stated on “it was indeed a Nazi salute, and one that was very aggressive at that”.
On the contrary, historian Aaron Astor judges that the salute of the American billionaire should not be considered a Nazi gesture. “I have criticized Elon Musk numerous times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform”he wrote on X before adding: “But this gesture is not a Nazi salute. It’s a hand sign from a socially awkward, autistic man where he says to the crowd “my heart goes out to you.” » Elon Musk announced in 2021 that he had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
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