‘Not a Nazi salute’

Others defended Musk, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most prominent organisations dedicated to opposing anti-Semitism.

The New York-based organisation, which has faced criticism for conflating opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism, said it seemed the billionaire had made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute”.

“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath,” the ADL said in a post on X.

“This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”

Max Kaiser, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said he believed that Musk had “unambiguously” made a Nazi salute and criticised the ADL for defending the billionaire.

“It was a clear signal to his rabid white nationalist and neo-nazi followers that he aligns with their values,” Kaiser told Al Jazeera.

“His platform ‘X’ is well known for promoting racist neo-Nazi content and he has recently endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) German political party. We should all be very concerned that the right-hand man of the most powerful person in the world is a Nazi. The ADL continue to disgrace themselves by defending Musk’s gesture while baselessly attacking expressions of pro-Palestinian solidarity as anti-Semitic. ”

While not addressing the controversy directly, Musk responded to a number of X posts about the incident, including to thank the ADL and express agreement with a user who said that calling people Nazis was “tired, boring, and old material.”

  • Lettuce eat lettuce
    link
    fedilink
    273 months ago

    Don’t you just hate it when you slip on a banana peel and accidentally sieg heil? Soooo awkward when that happens.

  • @apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    363 months ago

    And the ADL is also defending Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people. They lost the actual definition of antisemitism. They can get fucked.

  • @Atlas_@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    143 months ago

    Ok, so imagine that you’re a billionaire and a really smart dude (as claimed by so many people on the internet). And you get into government and appear on TV and want to look good. You might hire a publicist, a PR team, some speechwriters, hell how about a body language consultant. When you go on TV you’re going to project exactly the image you intend to. Anything less would be careless and stupid, right?

    So yeah. This was a Nazi salute. And if you really want to argue that it wasn’t, that Musk doesn’t even know what a Nazi is, you gotta also accept that he’s grossly incompetent and should not be in government at all. Throw him out, we didn’t vote for him.

  • @Saleh@feddit.orgOP
    link
    fedilink
    473 months ago

    The ADL is part of the radical Israeli lobby group AIPAC. They have regularly faced criticism, which i share, that they are not dedicated to fighting antisemitism, but rather abuse the fight against antisemitism to further Israels political interests.

    • @floofloof@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      38
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      This becomes extremely clear when opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians is called antisemitic but repeatedly performing Nazi salutes in front of a far-right rally is not, and is even defended. The ADL, it seems, don’t care about protecting Jews, just about protecting fascist Israel.

  • Lord Wiggle
    link
    fedilink
    93 months ago

    I mean, he does it weirdly, like he’s trying to do it like a dab or something, so even a nazi salute is something he fail in just like his companies. But a nazi salute is a nazi salute. When it’s a gesture done in a moment of enthusiasm, you know what his true nature is inside. A fucking nazi. But that’s not something he’s hiding or anything. It says more about the people claiming he isn’t a nazi. How fucking ignore’t and blind can you be? When it’s shaped like a strawberry and red like a strawberry, grows on a strawberry plant, it’s highly likely a strawberry. But than there are people saying “nah, it’s not a strawberry, it’s a banana.”

  • So, an org fighting anti-semitism sees a guy who openly supports a nazi party in germany, who says that the swastika symbol is not against twitter rules and who made the nazi salute in turd’s inauguration and says that it was just “an awkward gesture” but that he’s not a nazi at all.

    Tell me again why should I not consider that the ADL itself is a nazi org.

    • halyk.the.red
      link
      fedilink
      483 months ago

      The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

    • @Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      12
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Literally anyone: “Palestine should be free”

      ADL: AntiSeMiTisM!!!

      Elon Musk: Performs a nazi salute. Twice.

      ADL: My, my, such enthusiasm! *bats eyelashes

    • FuglyDuck
      link
      fedilink
      English
      36
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Tell me again why should I not consider that the ADL itself is a nazi org.

      if you have a table with ten people and 1 nazis, you have 11 nazis.

      Also, just to add to that list of things that makes musk a nazis… he donates to the AFD. You know. the neo nazis party in germany.

      Also, also, just going to drop this open letter/oped to the NYT’s that was signed by many then-promenient american jews denouncing the State of Israel for being fascists. it should be noted that the political parties mentioned in this letter became Netanyahu’s party.

      of which it says:

      To the Editor or Thk Nbw York Times :

      Among- the most disturbing political phenomena of our time is the emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the “Freedom Party” (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. … <snippy> … The public avowals of Begin’s party are no guide whatever to its actual character. Today they speak of freedom, democracy and anti-imperialism, whereas until recently they openly preached the doctrine of the Fascist state. It is in its actions that the terrorist party betrays its real character; from its past actions we can judge what it may be expected to do in the future.

  • @Shanedino@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    113 months ago

    I saw this post this morning and thought maybe it was out of context and just clipped from him raising his hand up to wave or something as a metaphor of who he is … then I saw the gif.

  • NoneOfUrBusiness
    link
    fedilink
    293 months ago

    Okay these are the people who in the past defended Apartheid South Africa and today defend Israeli genocide so I never exactly had high hopes, but… what the actual fuck? I thought they were just ideologically rotten; turns out they’re another member of the circus.

  • Cruxifux
    link
    fedilink
    583 months ago

    The ADL are literally just Zionist propaganda and should not be taken seriously or at face value for anything.

    • @njm1314@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      23 months ago

      Keep mine that they’re basically basicall spokespeople for the likud party who have a long history of working with the Nazis.

  • @ikidd@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    43 months ago

    Can’t keep killing Palestininians if we piss off the conservatives that like the world’s richest Nazi.

  • @ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    553 months ago

    ADL: If it looks like a nazi, and quacks like a nazi, it deserves a bit of grace, the benefit of the doubt, and we should hope for healing and work towards unity in the months and years ahead.

    • @frezik@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      3
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      We should come together and unify the country in support of bombing all the hospitals in Gaza. That’s the important thing right now.

    • Kichae
      link
      fedilink
      English
      93 months ago

      So long as it has money, or shits on Palestinians from time to time.

      If it’s poor or suggests Israel is anything but the Platonic Ideal of perfection, it’s committing a hate crime.

    • @BertramDitore@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      143 months ago

      Also ADL: if you’re a Jew criticizing or protesting Israel or Zionism, then you’re an antisemitic self-hating Jew.

      The ADL lost their moral high ground years ago, if they ever even had it.