Elon Musk is wrong – we must never ‘move beyond’ the Holocaust
Elon Musk addressed an AfD rally on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day and said there was too much focus on Germany’s past. The rise of populism combined with the consolidation of the power of big tech should worry us all, says Jack Mendel
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day falls in the immediate aftermath of President Trump’s inauguration – and a sliding doors moment for democracy.
It’s a time to remember that the Holocaust did not start with concentration camps and gas chambers.
It was the product of the Nazis degrading democracy and taking control of the organs of the state and propaganda.
Making the mantra ‘never again’ a reality means knowing the stages of how a genocide happens, and recognising our responsibility to stop it at an early stage.
This is particularly important at a time when populism is on the rise in Europe, and being amplified online.
Those who run social media sites have a particular responsibility to ensure extremism can’t foment easily. At at the moment, they’re failing.
In recent months X, formerly Twitter, has become a hot-bed for far-right activity, misinformation and conspiracies.
This is not insignificant.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, owner of X and now in government as Trump’s efficiency tzar, has personally and actively poured fuel on the fire.
Especially in UK politics, he has started pile-ons on MPs, outlined plans for Keir Starmer to be removed, for Tommy Robinson to be freed from jail and opined on rape gangs and the Southport stabbings.
Even more worryingly, Musk has endorsed the far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland,) in Germany of all places, and this week, a day before Holocaust Memorial Day, Musk spoke at the AfD’s rally. The party is considered a “suspected extremist” organisation.
He said: “I think there is too much focus on past guilt (in Germany), and we need to move beyond that. Children should not feel guilty for the sins of their parents – their great grandparents even.”
He was quickly rebutted by Dani Dayan, the chair of Israel’s national Holocaust museum and memorial, Yad Vashem. “Contrary to Elon Musk’s advice, the remembrance and acknowledgement of the dark past of the country and its people should be central in shaping the German society.”
“Failing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany.”
While Musk has gone on a far-right populism offensive online, Trump has invited a host of populist leaders to meet him.
He has also courted other big tech leaders.
At the inauguration, Trump was flanked by Musk, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, which owns Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram, as well as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google chief Sundar Pichai.
Before he was sworn in, Zuckerberg visited Trump, confirmed the sacking of Sir Nick Clegg, and announced that Meta would be brought into line with Twitter’s community notes approach.
Trump has even suggested Elon Musk could buy Tiktok.
More recently, Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft, also had a “productive” meeting with Trump. A few days after his inauguration, Trump signed a $500bn AI deal with OpenAI, Microsoft and Softbank.
Trump has successfully gained the support and backing of the most influential and richest people in the world – and they have all bent to his will.
Trump has successfully gained the support and backing of the most influential and richest people in the world – and they have all bent to his will
They represent trillions of dollars, access to data, influence over how people communicate and get their information.
This fusion of populism and consolidation of Big Tech’s influence at the heart of government, should worry everyone. Donald Trump is not a Nazi and neither is Elon Musk, but they wield enormous power. The risk that they abuse it should be setting off alarm bells for democracy, all over the world.