Elon Musk has caused alarm across Europe with a series of attacks on the continent’s leaders.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused US tech billionaire Elon Musk of leading an “international reactionary movement” and warned that the far right could be resurgent in European politics.
Musk, who is expected to serve as an adviser in US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, has struck across Europe in recent weeks with a series of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the British Prime Minister Keir, Starmer caused a stir.
Musk also weighed in on Spanish affairs on Sunday by commenting on an article that said rape convictions in Spain’s Catalonia region were mostly committed by foreigners.
Sanchez led an event in Madrid on Wednesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco and accused Musk of leading an “international reactionary” movement that “openly attacks our institutions, foments hatred and openly calls for support.” Heirs of National Socialism in the upcoming elections in Germany”.
“Autocratic regimes are on the rise all over the world,” Sanchez said, warning that “the fascism we thought we had left behind is now the third political force in Europe,” adding that the far right is supported by the “richest man on the planet,” referring to Musk, whose name he did not mention.
The comments come after Musk offered strong support to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of the country’s early elections on February 23.
The billionaire has also called for Starmer’s ouster and called for the release from prison of Tommy Robinson, a far-right British activist who is serving an 18-month sentence for contempt of court.
EU weighs reaction
The European Union is wrestling with the question of how to respond to Musk’s alleged interference. Some European governments are urging the European Commission to use its legal arsenal.
“Either the European Commission applies the existing laws to protect our unique space with the utmost determination or it does not, in which case it should think about giving the ability to do so back to EU member states,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter Radio on Wednesday.
The issue is testing the EU’s willingness to confront Musk head-on and risk angering the new Trump administration, as well as the effectiveness of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates the operations of social media platforms in the EU regulates.
A commission spokesman said this week that the DSA had previously proven to be an effective tool in combating the risks posed by the leading social media platforms and said a policy decision had been made not to respond directly to Musk’s tweets and “to fuel the debate.” This was reported by the Reuters news agency.
Last month, Musk called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “incompetent fool” who should resign after a deadly car attack in Germany. On Thursday, Musk will use his platform to have a conversation with AfD leader Alice Weidel.
Scholz responded by calling for coolness. “Don’t feed the troll,” he told the German weekly Stern on January 4.
French President Emmanuel Macron took aim at Musk earlier this week.
“Who would have believed it ten years ago if we had been told that the operator of one of the largest social networks in the world … directly intervenes in elections, including in Germany?” he said.
Musk has also repeatedly been critical of Britain’s Starmer and his government, most recently in connection with a child abuse scandal more than a decade ago.
Starmer on Monday criticized “those who spread lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible,” without mentioning Musk by name.
