Musk doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt

[struggle4progress]

by Zack Beauchamp
Updated Jan 24, 2025, 7:33 AM EST

... I watched the footage from as many angles as I could find. He stuck his arm straight out, palm down, and pointed it toward the crowd in a gesture of tribute. He put his hand on his heart first, a variant of the Adolf Hitler salute popularized in American History X — a critical film about neo-Nazism that some on the far-right have reclaimed as a celebration. And he did it twice.

If that’s what you saw — well, I’m with you. And it’s what neo-Nazis themselves saw; Nick Fuentes, the Hitler admirer who dined with Trump in 2022, described Musk’s gesture as “a straight-up sieg heil, like loving Hitler energy” ...

https://www.vox.com/politics/396535/elon-musk-nazi-salute-trump-inauguration

[struggle4progress]

1. Musk Addresses Germany's Far-Right AfD Party

Ty Roush
Forbes Staff
Jan 25, 2025,04:04pm EST

Elon Musk on Saturday made a surprise appearance at a rally for Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland party, repeating his support for the far-right party as the country’s “best hope” as the world’s richest person faces accusations of performing a “Sieg Heil” salute at an inauguration event earlier this week ,,,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/01/25/elon-musk-addresses-germanys-far-right-afd-party-in-surprise-rally-appearance-amid-nazi-salute-controversy/

[struggle4progress]

2. Jewish non-profit chief says Musk will spur violence

Martin Pengelly in Washington
Sun 26 Jan 2025 06.00 EST

The head of a prominent US Jewish civil rights body said Elon Musk’s repeated fascist-style salute during Donald Trump’s inauguration could act as a spur for violent extremists.

“The salute itself should be enough to warrant condemnation and attention,” said Amy Spitalnick, adding that so should “the ways extremists see an action like this and take it as license for their own violent extremism” ...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/26/elon-musk-far-right-antisemitism

[intrepidity]

3. Paired with that facial grimace

Can you imagine someone telling you they love you while wearing that expression? No, that was the dead givaway of his true intent.

[struggle4progress]

4. Meteorologist Was Fired for Describing What We All Saw: "Dude Nazi Saluted TWICE"

... I was contacting the local news station about the firing of meteorologist Sam Kuffel. For those who haven’t heard, the popular Kuffel was abruptly dismissed after commenting on Elon Musk’s Nazi salute at the inauguration day of Donald Trump. Kuffel wrote on her private Instagram page of Musk, “Dude Nazi saluted TWICE during the inauguration. You fuck with this and this man, then I don’t fuck with you.” She added an anti-Nazi meme from the reliably funny It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

This would have gone unnoticed except a right-wing radio sewer dweller, who won’t be getting free publicity in this piece, threw a fit calling her “vulgar” (always remarkable when this collection of rape apologists reaches for the fainting couch) and said that Kuffel was “spreading a lie” that this was a Nazi salute. This sure doesn’t look like a lie after Musk addressed German’s Alternative for Germany (AFD) party political convention over the weekend. To raucous cheers, Musk urged the far-right party to “move on” from the “guilt” of the Holocaust. Outside tens of thousands protested the German party whose leaders keep using banned Nazi slogans.

CBS58 fired Kuffel without hesitation, even though—in keeping with her job—all she did was open a window, stick her hand out, and tell us it was raining. Here we get back to station spokesperson Molly Kelly. Kelly, upon my query about why Kuffel was fired, responded, “We can confirm that Sam Kuffel is no longer with the station. However, we cannot comment further on personnel issues. You can refer to me as a spokesperson from the company but please do not use my name.”

I then received a follow up email insisting that I not use her name. In 20 years of doing this work, I have never had a spokesperson, speaking on the record and giving a typically drowsy answer, ask that their name not be used. For non-journalists, the rules are Journalism 101. Not using names is something that needs to be agreed upon in advance, not after the fact. As a communications professional—and especially as an official spokesperson—Kelly should have known that. It was an outlandish request and can only be interpreted as an act of shame or fear ...

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/meteorologist-sam-kuffel-cbs58-elon-musk-nazi-salute/

[JI7]

5. Just look at his history and record

[Snarkoleptic]

6. "Swasticar" is a term now being used in place of Tesla, which attaches stigma to ownership.

If this keeps up, the only remaining Swasticar drivers will be fascists or those who don't care.
This will make it easier to ID those on the wrong side of history.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. This made me smile

— Mike Luckovich (@mluckovich.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T21:15:28.028Z

Link to tweet

[Meowmee]

8. He should be deported imo and receive 0 aid from us, we pay to keep

his nutty programs in business.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. This was no mistake-Elon Musk gave two back to back Nazi salutes at the Trump inauguration parade

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

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