In a new row of social media events, the Defence Ministry and the national army of Germany, the Bundeswehr, have officially suspended their accounts on Elon Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The decision, which was attributed to the Elon Musk-owned platform’s incapacity to foster fair and truthful discussions, has generated debate in German government circles about whether additional institutions might consider disengaging.
This development comes amid Musk’s recent meeting with Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) co-chair Alice Weidel. Where, he promised to provide her with a precious platform to promote the party’s views ahead of a crucial election set for late February.
Recently, X has faced a larger exodus from the platform by prominent German organizations. Last week, over 60 universities and research institutions announced their departure—the reason cited by these organizations was growing radicalization and an environment they feel increasingly hostile to constructive debate.
In recent weeks, Musk has openly expressed his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Musk even called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a center-left politician, a “fool” while praising the AfD as the sole party capable of “saving” the country. This whole fiasco has drawn criticism for its divisive rhetoric.
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The situation reached a high point when Musk hosted a live talk on X with Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for chancellor. This increased promotion of far-right candidates ahead of Germany’s snap election on February 23 has intensified the political environment of Germany. The Defence Ministry, led by Scholz’s ally Boris Pistorius, found the platform’s setting inappropriate for conducting impartial and balanced talks.
The Bundeswehr and the Defence Ministry’s departure from X underscores the serious concern over Musk’s increased interference in Germany’s domestic politics. After successfully playing a crucial role in the US Presidential election, Musk has been observed doing the same in UK and German politics. This has raised concerns among public institutions, political individuals, and state apparatuses about the platform’s direction under Musk’s ownership.
These groups had initially used X to interact with the public and share updates. However, the alleged decline in discourse quality and the spread of extremist viewpoints have led to a reassessment of its usefulness. European politicians and institutions are not liking Musk’s social media activism.
Elon Musk is now expected to play a major role in the upcoming Trump administration in the United States. Musk has been extremely vocal about his political opinions and while the candidate he has backed Donald Trump has won the US elections, he has not let up and is now pushing his political opinion on other nations. Musk has previously made comments about making administrational changes in South American nations, while he has also openly endorsed Trump’s shocking views on Canada and Greenland. Moreover he has also advocated for the removal of Farage as the leader of Reform UK.
Musk’s bonhomie with the German opposition party AfD has ruffled quite a few feathers in Germany and the EU. Musk’s social media platform X, has a monthly active base of over 600 million users. This gives him a huge advantage in setting agendas and spreading the kind of information and news according to his political inclinations. This has caused considerable concern among EU countries especially France, Germany and the UK. This move by German official handles of withdrawing from his platforms may even signal towards future governmental restrictions to limit Musk’s constant political posturing from spreading amongst its public.
