Europe’s left-wing politicians swiftly condemned Elon Musk on Tuesday after he performed a stiff-armed salute at an event celebrating US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
During the event at Washington’s Capital One Arena, Musk addressed Trump’s supporters, saying, “My heart goes out to you.” He placed his hand on his chest, then extended a rigid right arm with his palm down, mimicking a gesture associated with Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and other 20th-century fascists. Musk repeated the gesture towards the opposite side of the arena, causing an immediate uproar online.
Critics attacked Musk for the gesture, while his supporters downplayed its significance. In Italy, journalist Roberto Saviano, known for his anti-mafia stance and critiques of the right-wing government, fiercely criticised Musk.
“May you be cursed,” Saviano declared. “The end of all this will be violent. His fall will be equal to that of those to whom it historically refers with this gesture. Musk will fall at the hands of those he now incites, fueled by the same violence he practices.”
Musk tries to defend himself on social media
Elon Musk defended himself on social media, dismissing the backlash as “dirty tricks” by opponents. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he tweeted.
Andrea Stroppa, a close adviser to Musk in Italy, initially shared the video of the salute with the caption, “The Roman Empire is back, starting with the Roman salute.” He later deleted the post. Stroppa replaced it with, “That gesture, which some mistook for a Nazi salute, is simply Elon, who has autism, expressing his feelings by saying ‘I want to give my heart to you.’ Elon dislikes extremists!”
In Milan, university students hung an effigy of Musk upside down in Piazzale Loreto, the site where Mussolini’s body was displayed in 1945. The student group ‘Cambiare rotta’ posted on social media, “There’s always room in Piazzale Loreto, Elon…”
The mannequin, made from a sack with Musk’s face attached, was hung from a gate in the square. Musk, who is set to co-run a new government efficiency department under Trump, continued to dismiss the criticism.
Naturally, Europeans are very sensitive over fascist salutes. The recent Acca Larentia remembrance event resulted in Rome Prosecutors looking at individuals who
