Elon Musk celebrated Trump‘s second inauguration by performing a Nazi salute on live television. Now, a German museum has covered its portrait of Musk, but the National Socialist gesture isn’t why. That may be surprising to some, considering Germany’s strict laws against fascist gestures and displays. The museum’s panel was designed to reflect “visionaries of the past and future,” but the decision to include a living figure is one the museum has come to regret. While protests and backlash to Musk continue to spread, many on social media are taking a stand against the world’s richest man.
Museum Backlash and “Heil Tesla” Protests
While everyone from Grimes to TikTok commenters denounced Musk’s gesture, the Deutsches Museum in Munich decided on Wednesday to cover his portrait for a different reason. Giving a living figure a place among dead visionaries of the past is problematic even when that figure isn’t doing his best Nazi impression. While the museum may have changed its exhibition because it no longer matched the organization’s vision, others have been bolder in their denouncements. One commenter on a TikTok by @hoosiersheppolitics expressed what many seemed to be thinking:
Ask Germany if it was just a wave
“So Germans saw it as a heil,” said another commenter on the post. “They would certainly know what it looks like.”
Musk has repeatedly denied accusations of Nazism, though his actions contradict these statements. In addition to doing the Nazi salute repeatedly, Musk has praised the work of Alice Weidel and Germany’s far-right AfD party, coyly courted the support of white nationalists on X, posted uncritical jokes about Nazi leaders, and lent his support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Palestinian genocide.
Some of Musk’s critics have been even bolder. One recent protest (attributed to German group the Center for Political Beauty and British activists Led by Donkeys) targeted a Tesla factory in Berlin. Their action? Projecting a picture of Musk’s now infamous salute, accompanied by the word “Heil,” turning the factory’s message into “Heil Tesla.” While Musk may not be experiencing direct backlash from the Deutsches Museum, it’s obvious that many have had enough of the billionaire’s unsubtle flirtation with fascism.
