Spain’s Sanchez says Musk incites hatred, warns of fascism in Europe | News of the European Union

Elon Musk has warned the whole of Europe about the series of attacks on the leaders of the continent.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused US tech billionaire Elon Musk of leading an “international movement of reaction” and warned that the far right could re-emerge in European politics.

Musk, who has been nominated for the position of adviser to the administration of the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has raised the ire of Europe in recent weeks with a series of attacks on the leaders of the continent, including the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir. A star.

Musk also made headlines in Spain on Sunday by commenting on a document that says rape cases in Spain’s Catalonia region are mainly committed by immigrants.

Presiding over a ceremony in Madrid to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of dictator Francisco Franco on Wednesday, Sanchez accused Musk of leading an “anti-internationalist” movement that “openly attacks our institutions, incites hatred and openly asks for support.” the heirs of Nazism in the upcoming German elections”.

“Democracies are advancing all over the world,” said Sanchez, warning that “the fascism that we thought we had left is now the third political force in Europe” and added that the far right is supported by “the richest man in the world.”, referring to Musk, whom he did not name.

The comments come after Musk strongly supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the country’s snap election on February 23.

The billionaire also called for Starmer to be removed and called for the release of Tommy Robinson, the UK activist who is serving 18 months in contempt of court.

The EU is weighing the answer

The European Union is grappling with how to respond to Musk’s perceived disruption. Some European governments are pressuring the European Commission to use its legal weapons.

“Either the European Commission applies the existing rules very strictly to protect our unique environment or it does not, and if so, it should consider giving the power to do so to the EU member states,” French Foreign Minister Jean. -Noel Barrot told French radio station Inter early Wednesday.

The issue examines the EU’s willingness to deal directly with Musk and the risk of opposition to the incoming Trump administration, as well as the effectiveness of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the operation of social networks in the EU.

A spokesman for the Commission this week said that the DSA has previously shown that it is an effective tool to combat the dangers posed by leading social networks and said that a political decision was made not to respond directly to Musk’s tweets and “inflame the controversy”, Reuters news agency reported.

Musk last month called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “incompetent fool” who should resign after a series of deadly car attacks in Germany. On Thursday, Musk will use his platform to host an interview with AfD head Alice Weidel.

Scholz replied that it was cool. “Don’t feed the troll,” he told German newspaper Stern on January 4.

French President Emmanuel Macron took aim at Musk earlier this week.

“Ten years ago, who would have believed if we were told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world … directly intervened in elections, including in Germany?” he said.

Musk has been a frequent critic of the UK Starmer and his government, most recently over the child sex abuse scandal more than a decade ago.

Starmer on Monday criticized “those who spread lies and disinformation as far and wide as possible” without mentioning Musk by name.