Merkel ‘ruined’ Germany, Ukraine conflict, ‘Hitlerian’ censorship: Key points from Musk’s talk with AfD leader
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has hosted a lengthy conversation with the co-chair of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel. Up to 150 experts were expected to monitor the talk livestreamed on X on Thursday evening for potential violations of Germany’s election laws, according to Politico.
Musk earlier ruffled feathers in Berlin by praising the AfD’s policies, including its tough stance on immigration. During his talk with Weidel, he reaffirmed his belief that “only AfD can save Germany” ahead of the 2025 parliamentary election.
Merkel ‘ruined’ Germany
Weidel slammed former Chancellor Angela Merkel for her ‘open-door policy’ during the 2015 migrant crisis, when Germany accepted around 1 million asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.
Merkel “basically ruined our country,” Weidel stated, arguing that the phaseout of cheap nuclear energy “destroyed the backbone” of the German economy.
Germany has shut down its nuclear plants, becoming the only industrial nation to do so, the AfD leader said. In 2011, the German parliament closed the plants in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. The last reactor was shut down in 2023, two years after Merkel stepped down as chancellor.
Weidel said Germany should reintroduce nuclear power as a cheaper alternative to green energy promoted by Berlin. Musk, who has described himself as “a big fan of solar energy,” suggested that Germany should not only reopen its nuclear power plants but “significantly increase” their output.
Immigration takes toll on taxpayers
Weidel criticized the government for fostering “immigration into the social system,” which consumes a significant share of taxpayer money.
Over 7 million people have arrived in Germany since 2015, the politician claimed, adding that almost 60% of them got rid of their ID papers to complicate potential deportation procedures. She blamed the situation on the lax attitude to migrants during the Merkel era. Musk said the US has to deal with a similar influx of undocumented migrants through its border with Mexico.
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, over 14 million ‘non-Germans’ arrived in the country from 2015 to 2023. The report did not specify whether they came from other EU nations or from outside the bloc. The federal and regional authorities spent €6.29 billion ($6.48 billion) as part of the asylum seekers’ benefits program in 2023 alone, according to government data.
Libertarian conservative party
The Alternative for Germany is a “libertarian conservative party” that fights bureaucracy and seeks to “free the people from the state” by reducing the role of the government in public life, Weidel said. She added that she wants to see “self-confident people” enjoying freedom of speech and generating wealth.
Weidel complained that her party is being “negatively framed” by the media. She thanked Musk for a “normal conversation” in which she was not being “interrupted” on a regular basis.
She repeatedly rejected comparisons between AfD and the Nazis, arguing that Adolf Hitler was neither a libertarian nor a conservative.
Current and former AfD members, including Thuringia leader Bjoern Hoecke, have made controversial statements regarding Germany’s Nazi past and have been accused of links to neo-Nazi groups. For this reason, all other major parties have mostly refused to work with the AfD. In 2021, Germany’s domestic security agency (BfV) classified the AfD as a “suspected” extremist group. The party unsuccessfully contested the designation in court.
Censorship is what Hitler did
Musk and Weidel blasted EU officials for monitoring their conversation and engaging in “censorship of free speech.” They agreed that free speech is a “bedrock of democracy,” while “extreme censorship” helped Hitler cement his power.
“For those who want censorship, I think they should be careful what they ask for because once you institute censorship, it’s only a matter of time before that censorship is turned [against] you,” Musk said.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict ‘complicated’
Weidel expressed support for Israel, describing her party as the “only protector” of Jews in Germany. At the same time, she stressed that the people of Gaza should have access to drinking water and other basic resources.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is “complicated,” and there is not an obvious solution at the moment, she said.
Musk proposed steps he said would help bring about an end to the fighting, such as the “elimination” of Hamas and other forces that seek the “destruction” of Israel. He called for “fixing” the Palestinian education system. The Palestinian territories should be prosperous, he said.
“I think there is great wisdom in forgiveness,” Musk stressed. “It is the only way to stop the endless cycle of violence.”
Forgiveness is a Christian virtue, not a Muslim virtue. The hate Islam has for Israel is based in spirituality, just as Hitler's hate was. Arab jealousy of the Hebrew's God goes all the way back to Ismail.
In the modern era, Islam's inability to defeat tiny Israel is extremely frustrating to them. But rather than realize that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only real God, they keep believing in Allah who can't defeat a few million Jews with more than a billion Muslims.
EU ‘has given up’ and only escalates with Russia
The Russia-Ukraine conflict demonstrates how much the EU has “given up on everything” and is reliant on the US, Weidel said. She stated that, while the ongoing hostilities are a “big danger” to European security, the EU has only managed to “escalate the entire conflict [with] Russia.”
“It is very dangerous what is going on here,” she stated, adding that EU countries “have no strategy” and “no red lines.” The conflict could “escalate big time towards a nuclear exchange,” she warned.
Musk expressed hope that US President-elect Donald Trump can quickly resolve the crisis, but refused to comment on the incoming administration’s plans. He argued that prolonging the conflict would only weaken Ukraine, which is a “smaller country” and cannot afford major losses.
Colonizing Mars could save the human race
Asked by Weidel about the reasoning behind his desire to colonize Mars, Musk said it is a “way to ensure the long-term survival of life as we know it.” The endeavor could preserve humanity in case of a global natural or man-made disaster, he argued. There is an “added risk for humans that we could destroy ourselves,” Musk said, warning that the “window of opportunity” could be shorter than people expect.
Setting foot on Mars is “not so much [about] flags and footprints,” but about the establishment of a self-sufficient colony that could require “a million tons of cargo” and a million people, Musk said.
One of the unfortunate outcomes of being a genius who doesn't believe in God, is that you tend to want to become the saviour of the world when we already have a Saviour.
Saving the human race by populating Mars is not worthy of Musk's time. First, you will only be moving man's inherent evil to a new location. Nothing will change in the abhorrent behaviour of mankind.
It is only the return of Jesus Christ and the imprisonment of Satan that can save mankind from destroying itself.
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Slovakia threatens to block Ukraine aid
over gas transit dispute
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned that Bratislava may block humanitarian and financial aid to Kiev if the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine is not resolved. Fico made the statement after talks with EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen on Thursday.
Fico cited potential losses from the blocked transit as the reason for his threat.
“If this problem is not resolved, the government of the Slovak Republic will take strict reciprocal measures in the near future,” Fico told reporters in Brussels.
“There is nothing – not international law or sanctions – that prevents the transit of gas through Ukraine,” he added, as quoted by Reuters.
Slovakia has seen the complete cessation of Russian gas flows via Ukraine, a route that previously provided Bratislava with significant transit fees and also provided the gas for its domestic consumption.
According to Fico, Slovakia stands to lose $515 million annually in transit fees and could face an additional $1 billion in increased gas prices due to the disruption.
The prime minister outlined potential retaliatory measures, including exercising Slovakia’s veto power within the European Union on Ukraine-related issues.
He also threatened to suspend humanitarian aid to Ukraine, scaling back support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, and halting emergency electricity supplies to the country.
Fico’s remarks follow recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, during which the Slovak leader secured assurances of direct gas supplies to Slovakia despite the transit halt.
A meeting initially scheduled between Slovak, Ukrainian, and European Commission officials to address the gas transit issue was canceled after Ukraine declined to participate. Slovakia and the European Commission have since agreed to form a working group to assess the crisis and explore potential EU interventions.
Ukraine has not yet publicly responded to Fico’s latest statements. When the Slovak PM first threatened to cut off electricity to Kiev last month, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said he didn’t think that Bratislava would go through with the threat.
Slovakia, which has a contract with Russia’s Gazprom, requires between 4 billion and 5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually to meet its energy needs. Prior to the transit halt, it had been receiving around 3 billion bcm from Russia through Ukraine. In response to the disruption, SPP, Slovakia’s state-owned gas company, is now sourcing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from international suppliers, including BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Eni, and RWE.
The rising cost of energy in Germany because of sanctions on Russian gas has hit the economy hard with factory closures in some of Germany's biggest industries. Wayfair can see the writing on the wall and is pulling the plug while there is still water to drain.
Wayfair announces departure from German market
Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Wayfair announced on Friday that it was leaving the German market after 15 years, citing lagging sales compared to Britain and "weak macroeconomic conditions" in the country.
Co-founder and CEO Naraj Shah said while Wayfair has found success in Britain, the same has not followed in Germany and the decision has been made to reallocate resources where future growth potential is best.
Shah did not mention how many employees would be laid off or any financial details associated with leaving Germany.
"Scaling our market share and improving our unit economics in the German market has proven challenging due to factors such as the weak macroeconomic conditions for our category in Germany, the lower maturity of our offering, our current brand awareness, and our limited scale," Shah said in a note to Wayfair employees.
Related
"While this is difficult news to share, we have much to look forward to in 2025. We will continue to focus on operations and investments in our international markets -- Canada, the U.K., and Ireland where we have meaningful market share."
Shah said it will offer employees affected with severance and access to its employee assistance program. He said they will also receive "individualized information" with more details.
"To our colleagues leaving: Thank you for your dedication and contributions to our company," Shah said. "We have learned so much from you and are grateful for the positive impact you've made."
A year ago, Wayfair laid off 1,650 employees, citing over-hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic when sales peaked. Those layoffs affected 13% of its global workforce, the company said then.
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