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The chairman of Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, Dani Dayan, harshly criticized billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday for remarks he made on Saturday during a video speech at a conference of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“I think there is too much focus on guilt in Germany, which we need to overcome," Musk said. "Children should not feel guilt for the sins of their parents or even their grandparents.”
Dayan responded to the American billionaire’s remark. “Contrary to Elon Musk’s advice, the memory and acknowledgment of Germany’s dark past and its people must remain central to shaping German society. Avoiding this is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to Germany’s democratic future,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
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Speaking to an audience of 4,500, alongside the party’s leader Alice Weidel, Musk addressed the crowd live via video link. He added: “Germany’s future should be viewed with optimism and enthusiasm. It’s important to be proud of German culture and values. It’s about preserving German culture and protecting the German people. Convince people to vote for the AfD. Their policies make sense.”
Musk, who is known to be close to President Trump, sparked further outrage last week after he was recorded making a gesture resembling the Nazi salute during Trump’s inauguration. Many were shocked by the “gesture,” accusing Musk of fascism and antisemitism, with some even claiming that “the real Musk is now being revealed.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Musk, writing in a post on X (formerly Twitter), which Musk owns: “Elon Musk is unfairly vilified. Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre, when Hamas terrorists carried out the greatest crimes against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has repeatedly expressed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists and regimes seeking to destroy the world’s only Jewish state. I thank him for that.” Like other government ministers, Netanyahu did not address Musk’s remarks at the far-right conference in Germany.