Europe and Elon: Musk's ongoing offensive

Politicians and bureaucrats are back at their desks, after a festive season that saw the world's richest man issue an unprecedented barrage of controversial interventions in European politics. 

Like the incoming U.S. president Donald Trump, Elon Musk has a track record of not holding back in posting quickfire and forthright views on his own platform - in this case, X. But now, he has an official position in the incoming Trump administration – and that seems to have fired up something of an evangelical zeal, which has seen him wading into global and specifically European affairs, even stepping beyond the safety zone of his 260 character-limit. 

This, coupled with Musk's clear political support for the far-right and his ability to gain major traction both online and in traditional media, is becoming a cause of growing concern in Brussels and in governments across the continent.

So what's been happening?

UK

A lot happened over the weekend. Musk ramped up several unfounded accusations against the British government over so-called grooming gangs, calling safeguarding minister Jess Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" who should be jailed, and repeating false claims that Prime Minister Keir Starmer failed to prosecute child sexual exploitation offenders when he was head of public prosecutions.

On Monday, Starmer responded without referring directly to Musk, saying: "Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves."

Starmer added: "When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, in my book a line has been crossed. I enjoy the cut and thrust of politics, but that's got to be based on facts … not on those who are so desperate for attention that they're prepared to debase themselves and their country.”

When asked, Starmer refused to comment on a poll by Musk on X asking whether America should "liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".

On Sunday, Musk called for the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party to stand down, saying Nigel Farage "doesn't have what it takes." Musk has expressed strong support for Reform, while Farage has called him a friend. In December, they met at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, reportedly to discuss a large political donation from Musk. 

The sudden falling-out came hours after Farage again distanced himself from a jailed far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon). Musk has consistently posted support for Robinson, who is serving an 18-month prison sentence for repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee schoolboy, having lost a libel case in 2021. 

Musk has also continued to mount attacks on the BBC, calling for it to be defunded. He has previously called the UK a "tyrannical police state" and said civil war was "inevitable", during riots last summer by the far-right.

GERMANY

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged people not to "feed the troll" after Musk called him a "fool" following a vehicle-ramming attack at a Christmas market. Musk also called German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier an "anti-democratic tyrant". 

Musk was criticized by politicians from several mainstream parties for writing an opinion piece for Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper in which he expressed support for Alternative fur Deutschland, calling the party "the last spark of hope" for Germany. 

Germany's intelligence agency classifies the AfD as a suspected extremism organization and the paper's commentary editor later resigned. On January 9, Musk is scheduled to hold a live conversation with AfD leader Alice Weidel on X.

Germany's governing coalition collapsed in December, while its economy is in decline. Officials have accused Musk of trying to influence upcoming federal elections in February.

ROMANIA

Musk recently called a judge in Romania a "dictator" after the constitutional court annulled the first round of voting in a presidential election which was won by far-right NATO-sceptic, Calin Georgescu. 

The court ruling came after classified documents were released, showing evidence that social media campaigns promoting Georgescu had originated in Russia.

ITALY

In November, President Sergio Mattarella warned Musk to stop interfering, after the billionaire called for Italian judges to be dismissed. A court in Rome had ruled that seven migrants being held in Albania under a bilateral migration pact must be transferred back to Italy.

Conversely, Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called Musk a "genius" who has been wrongly portrayed as a "monster." On Saturday, Meloni paid a surprise visit to the U.S. to meet President-Elect Trump, who reportedly called her a "fantastic woman." It's not known whether she also met with Musk.

Musk's SpaceX is reportedly on the verge of securing a $1.5 billion deal to supply advanced communications systems to the Italian government. 

EUROPEAN UNION

Musk called the European Commission undemocratic in late November. Brussels has imposed new rules covering social media content, with its Digital Services Act. In July, the Commission told X that it was in breach of the act, according to a preliminary assessment, but, so far, no legal action has been launched.

While Musk posting political views does not technically break the DSA rules, analysts say his engineered prominence on X, combined with posts undermining judicial and government systems, could be argued as a failure by X to meet its obligations under the act.

But EU officials are also desperate to avoid a trade war with the United States, after Musk-ally Trump threatened to impose tariffs when he becomes president.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron became the latest voice to hit back at Musk, accusing him of directly intervening in the continent's democratic processes. Macron is dealing with a long running political crisis, with his fourth minority government in 12 months and his party outweighed by a powerful far right grouping in parliament.

As countries across the continent try to deal with a resurgent far-right, Musk is almost certain to continue weighing in as domestic elections approach. Meanwhile, his father has become the latest person to join the exponential media firestorm - telling a British radio station that people are free to tell his son to "get lost."