The Spanish Prime Minister has claimed Elon Musk ‘stirs up hatred’ by ‘openly attacking institutions’ as he becomes the latest European leader to criticise the Tesla billionaire’s ‘meddling’.
The comments from Pedro Sanchez comes after fellow EU leaders French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Musk of intervening directly in European national affairs.
Musk, who is set for a role in Trump’s administration, has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks against the continent’s leaders, including against Chancellor Scholz and Keir Starmer.
Sanchez made the comments about the tech billionaire during a speech for the start of official commemorations on the 50th anniversary of dictator Francisco Franco’s death.
The Spanish fascist dictator ran Spain with an iron first from 1936 until 1975 after which the country transitioned back to democracy.
He 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’.
‘All this is a problem, a challenge, a challenge that should challenge all of us who believe in democracy,’ the PM added at the event at Madrid’s Reina Sofia art museum, home to Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ painting, one of the most famous anti-Franco works.
‘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’, a reference to far-right parties that have gained ground across the continent.
Elon Musk (pictured), who is set for a role in Trump’s administration, has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks against the continent’s leaders
Pedro Sanchez (pictured) made the comments about the tech billionaire during a speech for the start of official commemorations on the 50th anniversary of dictator Francisco Franco’s death
Sanchez has joined a growing chorus of European leaders who have issued stern warnings to Musk in recent days.
Yesterday, Macron said: ‘Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany.’
Scholz, who Musk labelled a ‘fool’ after his coalition government collapsed in November, said at the weekend he is staying ‘cool’ against critical personal comments made by the US tech tycoon.
He added however that he finds it worrying that Musk, who backed the AfD in an opinion piece in a major German paper last year, makes the effort to get involved in a general election by endorsing the far-right.
German opposition leader Friedrich Merz also called Musk’s remarks ‘intrusive and pretentious’, while vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck warned him: ‘Hands off our democracy, Mr Musk!’
In the UK, ministers have urged Musk to get off social media today as brutal clashes with Keir Starmer escalated.
The Prime Minister slammed those ‘spreading lies and misinformation’ following days of incendiary posts by Musk over the historical grooming gangs scandal in northern England.
Musk accused the centre-left Labour leader of being ‘deeply complicit in the mass rapes’ and ‘utterly despicable’.
Elon Musk, who is engaged in a bitter feud with the PM, cheered on Mrs Badenoch following her attack on Sir Keir at PMQs
During clashes at PMQs, the premier insisted that victims had told him a new probe would only mean ‘delay’
He acknowledged there were ‘mixed views’ among survivors – but accused Kemi Badenoch of ‘shocking’ behaviour in tabling an amendment that would trigger a new official inquiry
He then sparked backlash after he asked followers on X whether the US should ‘liberate’ Britain from its ‘tyrannical government’.
The Lib Dems have called for Washington’s ambassador to be summoned to explain why one of Donald Trump’s closest allies is mooting the overthrow of the British government.
Sir Keir mounted a robust defence as he took questions after laying out NHS waiting list plans this morning.
He said ‘child sexual exploitation is utterly sickening’ and victims had been ‘let down’ – but insisted he had tackled the issues ‘head on’ as director of public prosecutions.
The premier accused opposition politicians of ‘amplifying what the far-right is saying’ after falling to act ‘for 14 long years’.
Meanwhile Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, said Monday he found it ‘worrying’ that Musk, ‘a man with enormous access to social media’ would be so ‘directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries.’
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