‘Nazi salute’ row: ‘Heil Tesla’ projected onto Gigafactory in Germany

Campaigners from Center for Political Beauty, a German group, and UK-based activist group ‘Led By Donkeys,’ claimed they were behind the protest.

Published on: Jan 23, 2025, 20:50:22 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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‘Heil Tesla’ was projected onto the Gigafactory of the Elon Musk-led EV maker Tesla at Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany, amid the ongoing controversy over a hand gesture by the billionaire at Monday's swearing-in ceremony of US President Donald Trump.

'Heil Tesla' being projected on the Tesla factory in Germany's Berlin-Brandenburg (x.com/@ByDonkeys)

Musk was accused of making a gesture similar to the one by the Nazi forces of German dictator Adolf Hitler.

Also Read | Elon Musk and his chequered past of Nazi references: Hand gesture at Trump rally to Alice Weidel interview

Campaigners from Center for Political Beauty, a German group, and UK-based activist group ‘Led By Donkeys,’ claimed they were behind the protest.

The word ‘heil’ is seen projected onto the Gigafactory, Tesla's first in Europe. ‘Heil’ is in the font of the automaker's logo, next to the company's ‘Tesla ’ name, forming the message ‘Heil Tesla.’ An image of Musk making the gesture was also beamed.

Also Read | ‘I'm not him’; Elon Musk's ex Grimes reacts to his salute at Trump inauguration

‘Heil Hitler' was used by Nazi soldiers to salute Adolf Hitler.

Musk, the world's richest person, gave a ‘Hitler salute, just like American neo-Nazis have been practicing for years,’ Phillip Ruch, founder, Centre for Political Beauty, told news agency AFP.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who also owns social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has rejected as ‘dirty tricks’ and ‘propaganda' any comparison between his gesture and Nazi salute. At the inauguration of Donald Trump, whom he vocally supports, Musk made the hand gesture twice while saying “my heart goes out to you” to the audience.

Also Read | Elon Musk's transgender daughter on Nazi salute allegations: ‘Let’s call a spade a spade'

The South African-born entrepreneur, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency in the second Trump administration, has already had a run-in with German chancellor Olaf Scholz. Musk has openly called for Scholz to be defeated at next month's snap election, and expressed support for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany.

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