German protesters projected “Heil Tesla” alongside images of Elon Musk’s controversial arm gesture from Trump’s inauguration event onto the facade of his company’s German factory.
The protest came after Musk raised his arm in a way that sparked heated debate across Europe. During his speech at Washington’s Capital One Arena, Musk placed his hand on his chest before raising his arm upward twice, saying “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
In Germany, where Nazi symbols and gestures are illegal, the reaction was swift and clear. “A Hitler salute is a Hitler salute is a Hitler salute,” wrote Die Zeit, one of Germany’s most respected newspapers. The paper pointed out that Musk made this gesture while speaking to a crowd that included several far-right European politicians.
The gesture hit a particularly sensitive nerve in Germany because it reminded many of the country’s darkest chapter. German law bans Nazi symbols and gestures. The factory wall projection highlighted how seriously Germans view such symbols.
Some defended Musk, calling his gesture a “Roman salute” or just an awkward wave. But history professor Martin Winkler from George Mason University says the Roman connection is fiction: “There is no evidence whatsoever from Roman art and paintings that ancient Romans ever used that gesture.” He explains the salute actually started in late 1800s theater shows and silent movies before fascist leaders adopted it.
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fights against antisemitism, called it “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.” This didn’t sit well with many, including Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who fired back: “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.”
Musk himself brushed off the criticism on his social media platform X, saying “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is soo tired.” His Italian representative, Andrea Stroppa, first posted “The Roman Empire is back, starting from the Roman salute” but quickly deleted it when people connected it to fascism.
The crowd at Musk’s speech included some controversial European figures:
- Tino Chrupalla from Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party
- Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s leader, whose party has roots in post-fascist politics
- Nigel Farage from Britain’s Reform Party
- Eric Zemmour, a French far-right politician
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who studies fascism at New York University, saw it as more than just an awkward wave. She and other historians called it a “Sieg Heil” salute, the greeting used in Nazi Germany.
The wall projection at Tesla’s German factory shows how seriously Europeans, especially Germans, take these issues. Die Zeit warned that such gestures, intentional or not, send a dangerous message: “Neo-Nazis and right-wing radicals can interpret the stretched right arm as a gesture of fraternization and empowerment.”
The incident has sparked wider discussions about the rise of far-right movements in Europe and how historical symbols still carry powerful meaning today, especially in countries that lived through fascism’s darkest chapters.
