Elon Musk has slammed his critics for needing ‘better dirty tricks’ as he defended an ‘awkward hand gesture’ that some have compared to a Nazi salutation.
Musk has come under fire over a gesticulation he made Monday while addressing a gathering of MAGA fans during a celebration of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Chewing his bottom lip, the Tesla billionaire drummed his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, then extended his right arm out, emphatically, at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together. Then he turned and made the same hand gesture to the gathering behind him.
After the gestures were immediately examined online, detractors claimed they were an overt allusion to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
Musk took to his social media platform X to defend himself, saying that his opponents needed ‘better dirty tricks’ and that ‘the ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired’.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization established to fight anti-Semitism and has condemned Musk in the past, also rushed to his defence, saying it appears that he ‘made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute’.
The ADL also noted that Trump’s inauguration was a ‘delicate moment’ and that ‘politics are inflamed’ but urged ‘all sides’ to offer each other a ‘bit of grace’ and ‘perhaps even the benefit of the doubt’.
Musk’s debatable gesticulation comes after he made several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party.
At the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, where supporters of the recently elected president had assembled for a rally, Musk made an appearance on stage on Monday.
He took to the podium to tremendous cheers, pumping his arms and yelling, ‘Yesssss.’
‘This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization,’ he said. ‘This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you,’ he said.
Musk then tapped the left side of his chest with his right hand and raised his arm with his palm open, repeating the gesticulation for the gathering sitting behind him.
Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, said Musk’s gesture was a ‘sieg heil,’ or Nazi salute.
‘My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,’ Aubin posted on X, aligning with those who found the gesture was an overt reference to Nazis.
However, the ADL defended Musk, who denied the online comments.
He is fully aware of what he did. He was attempting to annoy a certain contingent, and it was cynically and purposefully inflammatory. That gesture is wrong since it is inherently associated with one of the darkest periods in human history.
The Musk narrative is unconvincing. On the one hand, he reminds us repeatedly that he’s a brainiac, but then when he does something calculated, controversial and socially inappropriate, it just demonstrates why he’s just awkward, a bit embarrassing and someone to be fearful of.
Maybe he was saluting Tump, the fuhrer.
The hand gesture Musk made was not considered unusual by the ADL. Antisemitism is ingrained in this organisation. I’m curious to know how people would react if they were gathered outside the closest synagogue and instructed to do exactly what Musk did.
Whether Elon Musk did the gesture intentionally or not, he wasn’t thinking with his brain. People are sensitive to this type of gesture and he should have had more sensitivity and consideration for the millions that were gassed and those living in occupied countries during Hitler’s aggression. It’s called respect and if Elon Musk has an issue with it, then he should get off his podium.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 