an image Alan Kasturi To create a A straight-arm, Nazi-like gesture to the US President during his speech on Monday Donald Trump The opening was assumed Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin-Brandenburg on Wednesday night.
The image features Musk making the gesture as well as the words “Heil Tesla”. Activist groups in the UK led by Donkey and Political Beauty in Germany were behind the demonstration and posted a shared Instagram post from the two groups. “Tesla Gigafactory, Berlin. #ledbydonkey,” the caption read.
The Donkeys leader also shared a mini-doc on Instagram on Thursday, with the caption, “Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is campaigning to the right of Europe. Don’t buy @teslamotor. Location: Tesla Gigafactory, Berlin. “
“This is the Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin where Elon Musk builds Tesla cars for the European market. It is factories like these that have made him the richest man in the world. But now he’s using that wealth, having raised billions by selling Tesla, to promote European far-right parties,” begins the voiceover from the mini-doc. “He’s vocally supporting the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) in the upcoming German election, claimed that ‘only the AfD can save Germany.'”
The projection of the image at the Tesla Gigafactory comes after Kasturi’s speech at Trump’s inauguration on Monday. He earlier thanked Trump supporters His hands are slapping his chest and extend his arm straight outward and upward with his palm facing down.
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“I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Kastur said during his speech at Kastur One Arena, referring to Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Then he slapped his hand on his chest and straightened his arm and extended it with his palm down.
“My heart goes out to you,” Musk said, after turning to make a similar gesture the other way around.
Kasturi responded to complaints that her gesture resembled the X Nazir salute hours after leaving the stage.
“Honestly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is so tired,” Musk wrote.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which campaigns against dissent, has come to Musk’s defense.
“Looks like @Ellenmask made an awkward gesture in a moment of excitement, not a Nazi salute, but again we appreciate that people are on edge,” the company wrote in a post on Monday afternoon.
“At this point, all sides should do each other some grace, maybe even give the benefit of the doubt and take a breather. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and to work toward unity in the months and years ahead. “
Meanwhile, the The ADL’s website describes the “Hitler salute” or “Nazi salute”. as consisting of “raising an extended right arm with the palm down.”
“In Nazi Germany, this was often accompanied by chanting or shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘Sieg Heil,'” the description continues. “The salute has been used by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists since World War II, making it the most common white supremacist hand sign in the world.”
As of this writing Musk has not publicly commented or reacted to the projection of the image at the Tesla factory.
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–With files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield and The Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc
