Europe leaders criticise Musk attacks

Few European leaders person felt the lash of Elon Musk's societal media outbursts much than Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The tech-billionaire proprietor of X has called him an "incompetent fool" and urged him to resign. On Thursday Musk volition usage his level to big Alice Weidel, the caput of Germany's far-right, anti-immigrant AfD for a lengthy chat.

For galore German politicians it smacks of governmental interference, with the AfD moving 2nd successful the polls up of national elections connected 23 February.

"You person to enactment cool," says Scholz. "Don't provender the troll."

Although immoderate of Europe's leaders, notably Italy's Giorgia Meloni, person recovered favour with Musk, others are uncovering it hard to disregard him, arsenic helium ventures into their home authorities up of a caller relation an advisor to the incoming US President Donald Trump.

In the abstraction of 24 hours, 4 European governments person objected to Musk's posts.

France's Emmanuel Macron was among the archetypal to expressed incredulity connected Monday.

"Ten years ago, who would person believed it, if we had been told that the proprietor of 1 of the biggest societal networks successful the satellite would enactment a new, planetary reactionary question and intervene straight successful elections, including successful Germany?" helium said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store weighed in, too, saying helium recovered it "worrying that a antheral with sizeable entree to societal networks and important economical resources is truthful straight progressive successful the interior affairs of different countries".

Spain's authorities spokeswoman, Pilar Alegría, said integer platforms specified arsenic X should enactment with "absolute neutrality and supra each without immoderate benignant of interference".

Musk has highlighted transgression statistic successful Norway and Spain, and blamed a deadly Christmas marketplace onslaught successful Germany connected "mass unchecked immigration".

In the past fewer days, Musk has written galore posts attacking the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his medication implicit grooming gangs and kid intersexual exploitation.

"Those who are spreading lies and misinformation arsenic acold and arsenic wide arsenic imaginable are not funny successful victims, they're funny successful themselves," said the UK premier minister, without mentioning Musk personally.

Two notable exceptions successful Europe are Italy and Hungary.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has cultivated adjacent ties with Elon Musk and calls him a "genius" and an "extraordinary innovator".

And Hungary's Viktor Orban, who met Musk portion visiting Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago past month, shares Musk's dislike of Hungarian-born wide philanthropist George Soros.

But it is the tech-billionaire's involution successful German authorities that is astir contentious, due to the fact that of imminent elections.

He has spoken retired respective times successful favour of the AfD successful caller weeks, and wrote a highly arguable nonfiction for Welt americium Sonntag successful which helium called the AfD the "last spark of hope" for Germany.

Musk justified his involution astatine the clip due to the fact that of his institution Tesla's fiscal concern successful Germany. He said portraying the AfD arsenic right-wing, extremist was "clearly false", due to the fact that Alice Weidel had a same-sex spouse from Sri Lanka.

German information services person labelled the AfD either arsenic right-wing extremist oregon suspected extremist and the courts person ruled it pursues goals against democracy.

While Olaf Scholz has sought to enactment calm, the Greens' campaigner for chancellor, Robert Habeck, was much blunt: "Hands disconnected our democracy, Mr Musk."

Liberal FDP person Christian Lindner has suggested that Musk's purpose mightiness possibly beryllium to weaken Germany successful the US interest, "by recommending voting for a enactment that would harm america economically and isolate america politically".

The erstwhile caput of the European Commission's integer agenda, Thierry Breton, took to X past play to pass Alice Weidel, the AfD's campaigner for chancellor, that Thursday's unrecorded chat with Musk would springiness her "a important and invaluable vantage implicit your competitors".

The European Commission has said determination is thing successful the EU's Digital Services rules that bans a unrecorded stream, oregon anyone expressing idiosyncratic views.

However, a spokesperson warned that level owners should not supply "preferential treatment". Musk's X is already nether probe and the EU says the unrecorded watercourse volition travel nether that inquiry.

While Musk has been outspoken connected German politics, helium has besides been extending his concern interests successful Italy.

Giorgia Meloni had conscionable been connected a whirlwind travel to person meal with Donald Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago erstwhile reports emerged that Italy was successful talks with Musk's SpaceX to motion a $1.6bn (£1.3bn) deal, nether which Starlink satellites would supply encrypted net and telecommunications services for the Italian government.

The woody does not yet look to person been concluded and Rome has swiftly denied immoderate contracts person been signed.

Musk said connected Monday that helium was "ready to supply Italy [with] the astir unafraid and precocious connectivity" – without confirming a woody had been reached.

But the proposition that Starlink could beryllium entrusted with safeguarding the Italian government's communications was capable to origin alarm among immoderate absorption politicians successful Rome.

"Handing implicit specified a delicate work to Musk portion helium is sponsoring the European acold right, spreading fake quality and meddling successful the interior authorities of European countries cannot beryllium an option," said centrist person Carlo Calenda.