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| Top German newspaper editor quits over Musk op-ed | Top German newspaper editor quits over Musk op-ed |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| The Tesla and SpaceX owner penned an article praising the anti-immigration AfD party | The Tesla and SpaceX owner penned an article praising the anti-immigration AfD party |
| The opinion editor at Germany’s leading newspaper Die Welt has resigned over a decision to publish an op-ed by Elon Musk, in which he defended the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. | |
| “I have always enjoyed running the opinion pages of Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Today, an article written by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday, after it went to print,” Eva Marie Kogel wrote on X. | “I have always enjoyed running the opinion pages of Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Today, an article written by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday, after it went to print,” Eva Marie Kogel wrote on X. |
| The billionaire owner of SpeceX, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) wrote the article after praising the AfD on social media. In his op-ed, the close ally of US President-elect Donald Trump hailed the AfD as “the last spark of hope” for Germany. The billionaire insisted that its “pragmatic” approach will usher in a revival of the country, while arguing that other parties are out of touch with regular people. | |
| “The traditional parties have failed Germany. Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest and an erosion of national identity,” Musk wrote. “Despite being far-right, AfD represents political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel that their concerns are being ignored by the establishment.” | “The traditional parties have failed Germany. Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest and an erosion of national identity,” Musk wrote. “Despite being far-right, AfD represents political realism that resonates with many Germans who feel that their concerns are being ignored by the establishment.” |
| Musk went on to rebuff criticism against the AfD, stating that “their portrayal as far-right is clearly false.” | |
| According to German media, the publication of the op-ed sparked intense debate among the staff at Die Welt, with some viewing it as meddling in the snap parliamentary election, which is scheduled for February 2025. | |
| Jan Philipp Burgard, Die Welt’s senior reporter, penned a rebuttal to Musk, calling his praise of AfD “fatally flawed” and arguing that it was “a big mistake” not to label the party as far-right. | Jan Philipp Burgard, Die Welt’s senior reporter, penned a rebuttal to Musk, calling his praise of AfD “fatally flawed” and arguing that it was “a big mistake” not to label the party as far-right. |
| Another Die Welt journalist, Franziska Zimmerer, insisted in her own op-ed that the text written by Musk “should not have appeared” in the paper. “Election appeals, no matter the party, have no place in independent media,” she wrote. | Another Die Welt journalist, Franziska Zimmerer, insisted in her own op-ed that the text written by Musk “should not have appeared” in the paper. “Election appeals, no matter the party, have no place in independent media,” she wrote. |
| Founded in 2013, AfD has been pushing for a tightening of asylum laws and fighting organized crime and Islamic extremism. The party has become more popular in recent years, winning its first regional election in Thuringia in September. | |
| The 2025 election was called after the ruling three-party coalition collapsed due to a budget dispute. |