Elon Musk called for “turning the page” on the Holocaust: reaction from Germany and the world

Elon Musk said at an AfD party event that Germany should “turn the page” of its Nazi past. Jewish organizations and German politicians sharply condemned the statement on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Elon Musk, speaking at an event of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said that the country should “turn the page” and stop feeling guilty about the crimes of the Nazi past.

Politico writes about this, UNN reports.

Musk's words came on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and caused outrage among Jewish organizations and politicians. Right-wing forces in Germany have long criticized the tradition of remembering Nazi crimes, which in the country is called Erinnerungskultur (“culture of memory”). They argue that it only “suppresses the spirit of the nation” and forms a “cult of guilt”.

However, previously such statements were mainly made by political marginals. Now such messages are supported by one of the most influential businessmen in the world. Musk stressed that “children should not bear the guilt for the sins of their parents, and even more so their great-grandfathers,” alluding to the crimes of the Nazi regime.

Jewish communities in Germany and elsewhere sharply condemned Musk's words. The head of the Israeli Yad Vashem memorial center, Dani Dayan, wrote on social media X:

The memory of the country's dark past and its recognition should be central to the formation of German society. Ignoring this is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a serious threat to Germany's democratic future

Musk actually supported the ideas of the AfD, whose leaders have repeatedly minimized the crimes of the Nazis and criticized acts of remembrance. Thus, the former co-chairman of the party, Alexander Gauland, in 2018 called the Nazi era a “bird dropping stain” in Germany's thousand-year history. He also stated that Germans can be proud of their soldiers in both world wars.

Another prominent AfD representative, the party's leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, advocated a “180-degree turn” in memory policy. He criticized the creation of a Holocaust memorial in Berlin, calling it “a monument of shame in the heart of our capital.” Despite Musk's harsh statements, German officials emphasized that the culture of memory is not aimed at forming a sense of guilt in the younger generation.

No one makes children feel guilty for the crimes of the Nazis. We want them to grow up knowledgeable and responsible, aware of the lessons of the past

– said German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert.

At the same time, studies show that knowledge of the Holocaust in Germany is decreasing. According to one poll, almost a fifth of Germans believe that the Nazis and their allies killed 2 million or fewer Jews, although the real number of victims exceeds 6 million. On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Auschwitz to commemorate the victims of Nazi terror. Before his trip, he said:

It is worrying that many young people in Germany know almost nothing about the Holocaust. We must preserve the memory, especially when the last witnesses of these events have passed away

Politicians, in particular representatives of Scholz's party (SPD), emphasize that statements like Musk's pose a threat to democracy.

Parties like the AfD and, apparently, Elon Musk are interested in people forgetting or not thinking. After all, if they thought about it, they would understand that our democracy is under threat again

– said SPD MP Carmen Wegge.