Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists
Associated Press
Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech on Monday, although his intention was not totally clear.
“I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Mr Musk said during a speech on Monday, referring to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
Then he slapped his hand on his chest, extended his arm straight outward and upward, with his palm facing downwards.
He turned around and made a similar gesture facing the other way.
“My heart goes out to you,” he said.
Many social media users said the gesture looked like a Nazi salute.
‘Lashed out’
Mr Musk has only fanned the flames of suspicion by not explicitly denying those claims in a dozen posts since, though he did make light of the criticism and lashed out at people making that interpretation.
“The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” Mr Musk posted on X several hours after he left the stage.
Critics and fans alike of the Tesla chief executive and world’s richest man were quick to react.
“The White Flame will rise again,” a chapter of the white nationalist group White Lives Matter posted on Telegram.
The Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism and human rights watchdog, described it as an “awkward gesture” and urged caution in jumping to conclusions.
Other extremism watchdogs and experts pointed out it was unclear what Mr Musk was trying to convey to the crowd of Trump supporters during his speech by thrusting his arm out.
“I’m sceptical it was on purpose,” said Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate.
“It would be an act of self-sabotage that wouldn’t really make much sense at all.”
He noted Mr Musk specifically said his heart went out to the crowd. That could indicate a sort of gesture of thanks to them.
Since Mr Musk bought Twitter, now called X, the self-described “free speech absolutist” has faced criticism from hate-speech watchdogs for allowing extremist, dangerous and antisemitic comments to flourish on the social media platform.
His response has been to attack his critics, suing one group unsuccessfully after advertisers fled X and threatening to sue another, the ADL.
The ADL was careful in its reaction.
‘Awkward’
“It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the group said in a statement.
“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.”
Kurt Braddock, a professor of communication at American University who studies extremism, radicalisation and terrorism, said the gesture was a fascist salute and “people shouldn’t doubt what they saw”.
“He’s still blowing it off as though it wasn’t something serious,” Mr Braddock said.
“I know what I saw, I know what the response to it was among elements of the extreme right including neo-Nazis, and I see what the reaction is now. And none of it is a laughing matter.”
Brian Levin, founder of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said even if it was accidental, the gesture has the power to hurt people.
“When you’re a public figure at the highest echelons of power on Inauguration Day, doing a salute like that is extraordinarily disturbing and it calls for an explanation from Musk,” he said.
“Points are made about free speech. Well, along with free speech comes responsibility.”
Mr Levin said some extremists will take the gesture regardless of its intent as “some kind of not-so-subtle marching order”.
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I’ve no clear view as to whether Musk’s gesture was a conscious and deliberate attempt to replicate a Nazi salute. I can see that it might be possible that he was making a spontaneous emotional gesture which just by chance happened to replicate a Nazi-era salute. But as far as I’m concerned, that’s all pretty irrelevant. What counts, in my mind on a whole raft of other evidence, is that what Musk appears to stand for, and what his gesture in reality represents. Both Musk and Trump are wholly contemptible dross, and I unreservedly despise the pair of them. But… Read more »
Just been deleting and replacing Twitter/X/NaziGeek accounts and will boycott anything to do with narcassist criminals like Trwmp or any of his weir entourage. Just ignore them and the 4 years will go as fast as the last time, with the Obese Orange not lasting long himself.
Trwmp. I like it. A Welsh reference to the breaking of wind. If Orange boy is still there by the end of 2028, he will attempt to stay there beyond that by subverting democracy. He told a Christian conference that they would only have to vote for him once more and they wouldn’t have to do it again. More likely though is that he won’t last his term because you cannot hope to survive by presiding over an operation based entirely on hate. It is an aggressive mind cancer and as I’ve said a couple of times recently, hate will… Read more »
It was a nazi salute. If you doubt what it was, go do the same outside a school or religious place of worship. Go to Germany and do that outside the Brandenberg Gate. Do that a Dachau. Just look at what he lets loose on his platform. And artd appeals to this bloke for help, I wonder why, Mr Millar still backing artd? This is where you are going Mr Millar. Two things arise here, he is thick and didn’t intend this so why is he near power. He intended it. Why is he near power (He knew what he… Read more »
I wonder if these two are still best friends? I can imagine Donald Trump stamping his foot and slamming doors after his best friend steals the limelight on his special day. They are like a couple of spoiled brats. It’s quite alarming to think that this collection of weirdos are in control of USA.
It’s almost as if this is some sort of weird messed up plan to co-erce rednecks into buying electric trucks…..
Is Mr Musk operating trumps strings or vice versa?
His government contracts were in the spotlight because of musk and security issues and competition. Now it will all go away.
Some idiot had his cyber truck impounded in the UK a few days ago cos not type approved.
The bit that sickens me in all this is that some people are giving Musk a pass because he is autistic and socially awkward. Well my brother is autistic and knows what a Nazi salute means. Gaslighting is a typical ploy among populists. Good grief even Steve Bannon thinks Elon Musk is racist.
Someone should tell free speech absolutists that free speech works both ways. If you have the right to do a Nazi salute then we have the right to call you a Nazi/fascist low life piece of ****!!