The editor of the Welt publication resigned after the publication of Musk's column in support of the far-right

Eva Marie Kogel has resigned as editor of the Welt am Sonntag opinion section after the publication of Elon Musk's column. Musk has supported the far-right AfD party, calling it “the last spark of hope” for Germany.

The editor of the opinion section of the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Eva Marie Kogel, announced her resignation after the website published a column by American Elon Musk in support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The journalist reported this on the social network X.

I have always liked heading the opinion section at Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag. Today, Welt am Sonntag published an article by Elon Musk. Yesterday, after its publication, I submitted my resignation,

– the message says.

At the same time, as Deutsche Welle notes, an internal editorial discussion about the advisability of the publication has caused conflicting opinions among the publication's staff. Die Welt editor-in-chief Jan Philipp Burghardt commented on the article, noting that although Musk points to real problems in Germany, his support for the AfD is a “fatal mistake.” He recalls that the AfD plans to withdraw Germany from the European Union, which would be “a disaster for an exporting country, since more than half of all German exports go to the internal European market.” Burghardt also notes that the AfD are radical politicians. In several German regions, the party's youth organizations have been declared right-wing extremist by the courts.

The publication has also faced criticism from its own journalists, who called the publication “election advertising disguised as a guest article”.

Addition

In the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, American billionaire Elon Musk expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which caused a wave of indignation.

In his column, Musk called the AfD “the last spark hope” for Germany, justifying his support for a party often accused of extremism. He said it was incorrect to describe the AfD as far-right, citing the personal life of party leader Alice Weidel, who has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka.

Musk also supported the AfD's positions on energy, the economy and migration, saying they reflected “the principles of Tesla and SpaceX's success”.