Emmanuel Macron has joined others in Europe in criticizing Elon Musk, stating that the wealthy businessman is a direct threat to the democratic process on the continent, including the upcoming snap elections in Germany. Macron accused Musk of interfering.
The French president, along with the prime ministers of Norway and Britain and the German government spokesperson, responded to Musk’s hostile posts, in which he supports far-right parties and attacks left-wing politicians in Europe.
Macron questioned the involvement of a social media platform owner in international reactionary movements and election interference, mentioning the impact it could have on Germany’s elections.
The French president did not refer to Musk by name, but indicated that he has had a constructive relationship with him in the past. The Norwegian Prime Minister also refrained from directly naming Musk but expressed concerns about foreign interference in elections.
The German government, on the other hand, directly cited Musk’s name and emphasized that his influence on voters is limited. They dismissed Musk’s tweets as potentially misleading statements that could affect the country’s population.
Berlin confirmed last week that Musk attempted to influence the February 23 federal election in Germany through a controversial guest article in a newspaper. This raised concerns about external interference in domestic political affairs.
Political leaders in various European countries have expressed concerns about Musk’s involvement in their domestic politics, citing the need to maintain democratic processes free from external influence.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also faced criticism from Musk, prompting Starmer to defend his career and call for support against online misinformation. Musk’s attacks on political figures have raised questions about the impact of social media billionaires on democratic processes.
In response to the criticism, Starmer emphasized the importance of not allowing personal attacks to distract from political discussions and called for a focus on the issues at hand.
Source: www.theguardian.com
