Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called out tech entrepreneur Elon Musk for supporting right-wing parties in Europe. Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Scholz expressed the official European Union double standards on freedom of expression:
We have freedom of speech in Europe … Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire …. What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions.
While still the chancellor—prompted by Musk’s January appearance at an Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) event in Halle— Scholz called the South African-born tech billionaire’s position “really disgusting.”
Scholz’s latest remarks prompted online incredulity, with commentators pointing to the current parlous state of free speech in Germany.
