‘Heil Tesla’: Elon Musk’s salute applied to German carmaker’s factory – National
An image of Elon Musk making a Nazi-like straight arm during his speech at US President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday was projected at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin’s Brandenburg on Wednesday night.
The image shows the sign alongside the words “Hey Tesla”. UK activist group Led by Donkey and Germany’s Center for Political Aesthetics were behind the scene and posted an Instagram post shared by the two groups. “Tesla Gigafactory, Berlin. #led by a donkey,” the caption read.
Led by Donkey also shared a mini-documentary on Instagram on Thursday, with the caption, “The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is promoting the far-right in Europe.” Don’t buy @teslamotors. Location: Tesla Gigafactory Berlin.
This is the Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin, where Elon Musk builds Tesla cars for the European market. It is factories like this that made the world’s richest man. But now he’s using the billions he raised from selling Tesla to promote European right-wing parties,” begins the audio from the mini-doc. He is supporting the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) in the upcoming German elections, saying ‘only the AfD can save Germany’.
The image projection at the Tesla Gigafactory comes after Musk’s speech at Trump’s inauguration on Monday. He thanked Trump supporters before clapping his hands to his chest and extending his arms outward and upward.
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“I just want to say thank you for making this happen,” Musk said in a speech at Capital One Arena after announcing Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Then he slapped his hand on his chest and stretched his hand up and down with his palm up.
“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, after turning to make the same gesture in the other direction.
Hours after leaving the stage, Musk responded to accusations that his sign on the X looked like a Nazi salute.
“They really need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is tired He wrote.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against anti-Semitism, has come to Muck’s defense.
“Looks like @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” the organization said in a post on social media Monday afternoon.
“At this point, all parties need to give each other a little grace, maybe the benefit of the doubt, and breathe a little. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the coming months and years.
Meanwhile, The ADL website describes the “Hitler salute” or “Nazi salute.” It involves “raising the extended right arm from the palm down.”
“In Nazi Germany it was often accompanied by shouting or chanting ‘Hey Hitler’ or ‘Sieg Heil’,” the statement continues. “Since World War II, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have continued to use the salute, making it the most common symbol of white supremacy in the world.”
Musk has not publicly commented or responded to the image projection at the Tesla factory at this writing.
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–With files from Michelle Butterfield of Global News and The Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.