Elon Musk hosts X talk with German far

politics in Germany.

Elon Musk hosts a X talk with Weidel of the German far-right AfD.

It was published five hours ago.

As the nation prepares for a general election, Elon Musk’s backing of Alice Weidel’s party has already caused a stir in Germany. DW offers live reactions, explainers, and fact-checking.

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What you need to know.

Elon Musk, owner of X, is having a live chat on his social media platform with Alice Weidel, the Alternative for Germany party’s (AfD) co-leader and candidate for chancellor.

With early elections scheduled for February 23, Weidel’s AfD is currently ranked second among the parties with a 20 percent polling.

The AfD’s chances of winning power are slim, though, as all of Germany’s major political parties have rejected working with it in any future federal coalitions.

The conversation will begin at 7 p.m. M. London time, or 1 p.m. A. at 1800 UTC/GMT on the US East Coast.

Follow along with DW’s explainers, fact-checking, and reaction updates.

Go to the next section DW Fact check: Did Angela Merkel allow illegal immigration into Germany in 2015?

Just one hour ago.

DW Fact check: Did Angela Merkel allow illegal immigration into Germany in 2015?

The assertion: “[Angela Merkel] forced our borders to open to illegal immigration without consulting the people,” Alice Weidel stated in her live speech.

The facts: Alice Weidel is speaking of the events that transpired in early September 2015, when thousands of refugees traveled through Austria on their way from Hungary to Germany. Instead of closing the border to stop them, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel temporarily suspended regulations that would have required them to return to the first EU nation or a safe transit nation. Since then, there has been much discussion surrounding this choice.

It is untrue to say that Merkel “opened” the borders because, as of 2015, all of Germany’s neighbors were included in the so-called Schengen area, which had no border controls between them and Germany.

Temporary border controls with Austria were implemented by the German government on September 13, 2015.

Whether the government should have prevented the refugees from entering Germany in the first place has been up for debate. Austria is a safe third country, and according to the country’s immigration law, foreigners entering from that country will be denied entry.

The German government has claimed that its actions were compliant with the EU’s Dublin III Immigration Regulations, which permit a state to review an asylum applicant’s application even if it is not required to.

In 2017, the European Court of Justice upheld the Dublin Regulation’s prohibition on such border crossings, even though EU states are permitted to voluntarily accept asylum seekers.

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Go to the next section to learn about AfD’s popularity online.

Two hours have passed.

The popularity of the AfD online.

Recent state elections in Thuringia and Saxony saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) garner just over 30 percent of the vote, in part because the party was successful in reaching new voters on TikTok.

Other German parties exhibit “weak performance” on TikTok, whereas politicians and figures associated with the AfD use the platform as a “parallel universe” to spread extremism, according to a study conducted last year.

Donald Trump’s own strategies are also reminiscent of this campaigning approach, which places a strong emphasis on social media messaging and channels that traditional political campaigning might not reach.

See DW’s analysis on the influence of social media on the German election campaign.

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Go to the next section to find out if nuclear energy is carbon neutral.

Three hours ago.

Is nuclear energy carbon neutral? DW Fact check.

The assertion made by Alice Weidel during the Space with Musk event was that “nuclear energy is carbon-free.”. “,”.

The facts: Since nuclear energy doesn’t emit carbon dioxide (CO2) or other greenhouse gases while operating, some organizations view it as a carbon-free source of electricity. Yet, nuclear energy generates emissions over the course of a nuclear plant’s life cycle. All phases of nuclear power plant life cycle emissions, from uranium mining to plant construction, operation, decommissioning, and waste management, are included. Nuclear energy is not “carbon free,” but it does emit less CO2 than coal or natural gas. “.”.

The amounts of CO2 that nuclear power plants produce per kWh vary; according to an IPCC report from 2014, they can produce anywhere between 4 and 110 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh, which is not carbon neutral.

According to a UK study, nuclear power emits only 15–50 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour.

Uranium ore mining and refinement involve energy-intensive processes that frequently use fossil fuels. Additionally, a major contributor to CO2 emissions is the building of nuclear power plants, which require substantial quantities of steel and concrete.

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DW Fact check: Alice Weidel is “the leading candidate to run Germany”; skip to the next section.

The time was three hours ago.

Alice Weidel is “the leading candidate to run Germany”—are we mistaken?

Elon Musk claimed that Alice Weidel was “the leading candidate to run Germany” in the title of his space. “.

The facts: AfD, the far-right party of Alice Weidel, is currently ranked second in polls ahead of Germany’s next federal elections.

The latest polling, the ARD Deutschlandtrend, shows that the center-right CDU and CSU, who are running together, are currently Germany’s strongest political force with 31 percent. About 20% of people are voting for the AfD.

At the individual level, Musk was inaccurate in his portrayal of Alice Weidel. Alice Weidel ranked fifth in terms of satisfaction with the work of different candidates, according to the same nationwide survey that is carried out by infratest-dimap.

Just 20% of those surveyed expressed satisfaction with Alice Weidel’s candidacy for chancellor. Sarah Wagenknecht, with her own new party BSW, was in second place with 21 percent, followed by Christian Lindner of the pro-business FDP with 21 percent, Friedrich Merz of the CDU with 25 percent, and Robert Habeck, the Greens’ candidate for chancellor, with 28 percent.

Weidel’s ranking was comparable to that of Olaf Scholz, the center-left SPD’s incumbent German chancellor, though other polls have placed her ahead of both Scholz and Merz. However, Weidel is not expected to win the German election, according to the majority of polls.

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The conversation concludes with a discussion of metaphysics, colonization, and Mars.

The time was three hours ago.

Discussing Mars, colonization, and metaphysics brings the conversation to a close.

At the end of the conversation, Weidel asked Musk a number of questions related to his stated intention to colonize Mars.

“It is just a matter of time before we are annihilated” if humanity does not evolve into a “multi-planetary species,” he acknowledged, initially sidestepping the question of when he hoped for the first crewed mission to the Red Planet. “.

Later, Musk stated that the next mission window would be in about two years, while also mentioning that an uncrewed mission might be feasible during this time.

In response to remarks Musk had made regarding how the components of human bodies ultimately come from stars that exploded billions of years ago, Weidel also asked Musk if he believed in God. She inquired as to whether he thought this could possibly be a coincidence.

Neither speaker went on to present a strong argument. Musk stated that while he was “open to the idea” of “some entity that you could call God,” he was less convinced of the idea of monitoring our daily behavior and making judgments on a daily basis. “I’m still on a search,” Weidel said, adding, “I don’t know what to believe,” implying that she was “perhaps agnostic.”. “..”.

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Is “theft legal in California”? Skip to the next section of DW Fact Check.

The time was three hours ago.

Check Your Knowledge: Is “theft legal in California”?

Elon Musk asserted that “theft is legal in California,” asserting that thieves will not face charges if their stolen goods are valued at less than $1,000 (roughly €970).

The facts: As evidenced by this press release from the state governor about a statewide enforcement operation aimed at organized retail theft crime, theft is illegal in California.

Donald Trump has made this claim before. It alludes to Proposition 47, a major criminal justice reform that California voters approved in 2014 with the goal of lessening the penalties for some theft and drug possession offenses.

Theft of goods valued at $950 or less is a misdemeanor, not a felony, under Proposition 47, which was passed in 2014. This reclassification was a component of a larger criminal justice reform initiative that sought to alleviate prison overcrowding. Theft under $950 is still prohibited, though, and carries a maximum jail sentence of six months and a maximum fine of $1,000.

Although Proposition 47 altered the way crimes are prosecuted, it did not decriminalize theft. Except in situations involving repeat offenders or specific aggravating circumstances, the law removed prosecutors’ discretion to charge theft under $950 as a felony. Even though practical factors like jail overcrowding may sometimes limit enforcement, law enforcement organizations and the California Highway Patrol still target theft, particularly organized retail crime.

Throughout December, for example, statewide operations continued to result in arrests, the recovery of stolen property, and actions to discourage retail theft.

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AfD’s “libertarian” alternative is unfairly labeled far-right, according to Weidel.

It was three hours ago.

Weidel claims that the AfD’s “libertarian” alternative has been falsely labeled as far-right.

Musk asked Weidel to comment on the AfD’s widespread classification as a far-right party and Germany’s Nazi past, referencing both topics about 40 minutes into the conversation.

The “conservative” and “libertarian” parties she claimed were unfairly labeled as extreme in her home country.

Early this year, the AfD filed an unsuccessful appeal against the investigation into the party as a possible far-right extremist organization. When making their case, those who support this assertion frequently cite the remarks and deeds of party leaders who are thought to be more extreme than Weidel.

Weidel also asserted that Adolf Hitler was left-wing rather than right-wing, a claim that is somewhat more prevalent in the English-speaking world than in Germany.

Weidel contended that Hitler and the Nazis were defined by the term “Socialist,” not by the word “National,” which they felt was appropriate to use when referring to themselves. He did this by pointing to his command economy policies and high state spending, which prepared Germany for quick rearmament and war with nearly all of Europe.

Hitler himself claimed at the time that he wanted to reclaim the term socialism from the “Marxists,” who he claimed had tarnished what could have been a strong foundation for big-state economic policy.

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Go to the next section DW Fact check: Is Germany the first industrial nation to shut down nuclear power plants?

Four hours have passed.

Germany is the first industrial nation to shut down nuclear plants, according to DW Fact Check.

“Germany is the only industrial country that unplugged the nuclear power plant,” asserted Alice Weidel, the leader of the AfD, in an interview with US billionaire Elon Musk on the social media platform X. “,”.

Italy shut down its nuclear plants over thirty years before Germany did. In 1987, a nationwide referendum was held in Italy shortly after the Chernobyl disaster. Nearly 80 percent of participants voted in favor of closing the nation’s nuclear plants, according to records from the Italian Interior Ministry. All of Italy’s nuclear facilities were phased out by 1990. In contrast, Germany shut down its final nuclear power plants in 2023.

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The topics include energy, Ukraine, Merkel, migration, and education. Please skip to the next section.

The time was four hours ago.

Topics covered include energy, Ukraine, Merkel, migration, and education.

Online statistics provided by X show that between 100,000 and 200,000 people watched the discussion. Just after half past the hour, 200,000 people in the audience, who had been around 100,000 at the beginning of the conversation, left.

The first quarter of an hour was largely devoted to talking about German energy policy after Weidel called former Chancellor Angela Merkel “Germany’s first green chancellor,” presumably referring to her efforts to increase the use of renewable energy, which had started long before Merkel’s term.

Weidel criticized the use of wind and solar energy, which Musk attempted to partially refute.

She also denounced the use of coal to temporarily fill in gaps and claimed that Germany’s dependence on Russian gas had been made clear during the invasion of Ukraine.

According to Weidel, Merkel had “ruined our country,” mainly due to the high rate of migration that has occurred since 2015.

The public portrayal of her party in Germany’s “mainstream media” was another issue she voiced.

In what you might kindly describe as an unstructured or free-flowing conversation, the two also discussed German students’ poor performance on international PISA tests, with Weidel claiming that the declining German scores were caused by “socialist gender things” taking up most of the class period.

Fears among immigrants are sparked by the AfD’s political rise.

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03:12.

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Skip to the next section: Spaces is where the conversation starts.

Five hours have passed.

On Spaces, conversation starts.

Just after 7 p.m., Musk and Weidel’s conversation got underway on schedule. m. Time in Germany.

For viewers not familiar with German politics, even the headline on Musk’s X account was a little deceptive.

“Conversation with the leading candidate to run Germany,” was the original title of the presentation.

The AfD’s front-runner to lead Germany is Weidel. According to recent polls, she is also leading the party and has a reasonable chance of finishing second, albeit a far-off second.

With only 20% of the public supporting her and no one willing to form a coalition, her chances of winning the chancellorship after the February 23 vote are nearly zero unless there is a political upheaval.

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Go to the next section to see how Musk’s Weidel conversation is being scrutinized for violating election campaign regulations.

Five hours ago.

Election campaign regulations are causing Musk’s Weidel conversation to come under scrutiny.

The German Bundestag parliament’s administrative branch is already considering it as a possible breach of campaign finance regulations before Thursday night’s online debate.

On Thursday, the Bundestagsverwaltung announced that it would keep an eye on the conversation in case it broke any laws governing party campaign contributions or influencing the next election.

In Germany, analysts cited in Thursday’s papers voiced doubts about the possibility of rule violations developing in these domains. They cited free speech laws that would protect Musk from repeating an endorsement of the AfD or Weidel, as well as the fact that the conversation was broadcast without charge.

To increase the discussion’s visibility and reach, the Lobby Control group, which advocates for less lobbyist influence in German and EU politics, contends that tampering with X’s algorithms might amount to an unlawful campaign donation.

DW was informed by Aurel Eschmann of Lobby Control that Musk’s account’s “reach is much higher than for a user with a similar follower count that isn’t the owner of X.”. “..”.

He contended, “And since the service of this boost in reach is supplied to the party AfD for free, this would constitute a party donation.”.

“Unprepared and open discussion,” according to a Weidel representative, who also stated that the two had not yet met.

A few years ago, the AfD was hit with a hefty fine for unlawful campaign funding that began with the 2016 state elections in the southwest state of Baden Württemberg.

Authorities worry Musk will attempt to sway the German election in favor of the AfD.

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01:17.

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Proceed to the next section to find out how well-liked the AfD is in Germany.

It was five hours ago.

How well-liked is the AfD in Germany?

By the middle of December, the far-right party was trailing the conservative CDU by almost 20 percent in the polls. That is almost twice the outcome of its general election in 2021.

AfD has managed to mobilize a large number of non-voters while also stealing supporters from all of the other major parties, with the exception of the Greens.

The party’s strongest supporter base is middle-class to lower-class individuals, but it attracts supporters from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It works particularly well in the eastern part of Germany. One noteworthy aspect of its membership, however, is that women make up just 17%.

The AfD was established in 2013 as a euroskeptic party and has since gained seats in the European Parliament, the federal parliament, and each state parliament through regional elections.

In opposition to the single European currency, a group of neo-liberal academics first created it. Specifically, the 2010 bailout of Greece by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in the wake of Europe’s financial crisis infuriated them.

However, after Germany welcomed refugees in 2015, mostly from war-torn Syria, the party established a blatantly anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant, and nationalist agenda.

Find out more about the political parties in Germamy.

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Go to the next section to learn more about Alice Weidel.

It has been six hours.

Is Alice Weidel a person?

Alice Weidel is one of a very select few. She is one of nine women in the AfD’s parliamentary group; the other 69 members are men.

Along with Tino Chrupalla, she serves as co-chair of the party’s parliamentary group. Weidel and Chrupalla also ran together in the most recent federal election in 2021. The AfD’s victory was disappointing at the time, as they only managed 10 percent, compared to 12 percent in 2017.

The 45-year-old holds a doctorate in economics. She learned Mandarin during her six years in China, where she worked at the Bank of China in the late 2000s.

Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990, has been praised by Weidel before.

Musk has used her personal life to discredit the far-right AfD label because she is in a civil partnership with a Sri Lankan woman. They have two adopted kids between them.

The values of the AfD are very different from that way of living. The traditional family model, according to the party’s manifesto, is one in which “the mother and father take permanent joint responsibility for their children.”. “,”.

The candidate of the AfD for chancellor resides in Switzerland and Germany. Study up on her political beliefs.

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AfD support puts Musk “on the wrong side of history,” according to Manfred Weber. Skip to the next section.

Six hours ago.

Manfred Weber claims that Musk’s support for the AfD puts him “on the wrong side of history.”.

Supporting Germany’s far-right AfD is not in Elon Musk’s commercial interests, according to Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP conservative bloc in the European Parliament, who spoke to DW.

The founder of SpaceX and Tesla should not be taken too seriously, he added, and Germany and Europe should have more self-confidence. “..”.

Support for the AfD places Musk “on the wrong side of history.”.

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06:55.

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Go to the next section to find out why Elon Musk supports the far-right AfD in Germany.

It was six hours ago.

Why does Elon Musk support Germany’s far-right AfD?

Above all, the world’s richest man seems to be motivated by his own financial interests.

Musk lauded the AfD’s plans to “reduce government overregulation, lower taxes, and deregulate the market” in an opinion piece that appeared in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. “.

The US manufacturer would benefit from such changes at its first electric car factory in Europe, a Tesla facility in Brandenburg, outside of Berlin. Local AfD politicians had previously opposed the plant’s development; this could change in the future if there are mutually beneficial relationships.

It is also in line with Musk’s backing of far-right and right-wing politicians in a number of international nations.

Musk’s backing of the AfD sparked a flurry of criticism in Germany. However, what is everyone so upset about? Check out DW’s analysis.

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