Spain’s Sanchez says Musk incites hatred, warns against fascism in Europe

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused the US technology billionaire Elon Musk of leading an “international reactionary movement” and warned that the far right could make a resurgence in European politics.

Musk, who is set for a role as an adviser in United States President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, has provoked fury across Europe in recent weeks with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Musk also waded into Spanish affairs on Sunday by commenting on an article which stated that rape convictions in Spain’s Catalonia region were mainly carried out by foreigners.

Presiding over an event in Madrid to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco on Wednesday, Sanchez accused Musk of heading an “international reactionary” movement that “openly attacks our institutions, stirs up hatred and openly calls for the support of the heirs of Nazism in Germany’s upcoming elections”.

“Autocratic regimes are advancing halfway around the world,” Sanchez said, warning that “the fascism we thought we had left behind is now the third political force in Europe” and adding that the far right is supported by “the richest man on the planet”, referring to Musk, whom he did not name.

The comments come after Musk offered strong support to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of snap elections in the country on February 23.

The billionaire has also called for Starmer to be removed and urged the release from jail of Tommy Robinson, a far-right UK activist who is serving an 18-month term for contempt of court.

The European Union is grappling with how to respond to Musk’s perceived interference. Some European governments are pressing the European Commission to use its legal arsenal.

“Either the European Commission applies with the greatest firmness the laws that exist to protect our unique space or it does not, and in that case, it should think about giving the capacity to do so back to EU member states,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio earlier on Wednesday.