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There is no benign interpretation of this nazi salute from the inauguration. Firstly it is not like other politicians seen in a single frame or brief pause during a wave or other gesture, this was a snapping enthusiastic nazi salute throughout the motion of it, full chest into it, and done again a second time right after for those behind.

If Musk was genuine in that was some kind of mistaken motion entirely unintended to evoke fascism, he would be at least somewhat apologetic it could be seen this way, not mocking the memory of the holocaust with “jokes.”

If the whole gesture was itself an intentional “joke” of some kind, that is beyond abhorrent behavior, and whether meant “jokingly” or not, gives signals of support to outright nazis. It also inspired some followers to record themselves doing nazi salutes and teaching their kids to do the same, and saying it was not a big deal. Some of whom faced consequences from backlash forgetting they don’t have a billionaire force field against accountability.

It is not coincidental that we have recent incidents of emboldened neo-nazis encouraged by Musk and Trump rhetoric, actions, and salutes, marching with firearms in the street with full swastika banners as occurred in Cincinnati and was met by counter protests.

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“bUT He is aUtisTiC” nah not buying this, I am autistic myself, hence the expressing myself via detailed notes and spreadsheets. Going full nazi salute, especially without apology, is not any part of the spectrum. It’s a very common experience to mess up social cues for autistic people, but we’re typically mortified and apologetic when we are misinterpreted.

Cincinnati, Feb 8th 2025

Cincinnati, Feb 8th 2025

Elon Musk soon after his nazi salute moment on the U.S. national stage, appeared remotely to endorse and promote the far-right AfD political party in Germany, where he expressed that German youth should move past feeling guilt for the sins of their great grandparents.

The context of this appearance following his salute is not reassuring that it didn’t mean what it looked like it meant.

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"What's relevant about Nazis is like, are you invading Poland? And if you're not invading Poland, maybe you're not" a Nazi, he said. "You have to be committing genocide and starting wars. "

"What is actually bad about Nazis — it wasn't their fashion or their mannerisms, it was the war and genocide.” -Elon Musk , statements on the Joe Rogan Podcast responding to nazi comparisons.

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• Even in such occasion in which he seemingly wants to distance himself from this, he makes statements that function as apologism for nazism and fascists. To define nazism only by it’s late stages of horror, ignores that all the years proceeding were prerequisites to the genocide, the invasions, the death camps. Musk is advancing here a definition of nazism which excludes even the most virulent and violent neo-nazi groups in the U.S.