By John Q. Hosedrinker 
During a speech at President Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk performed a Roman salute, a gesture associated with fascism and Nazism, twice. This action was immediately celebrated by neo-Nazis across various online platforms, who interpreted the salute as a sign of support. Several prominent far-right figures and groups echoed this interpretation, expressing their enthusiasm. Musk’s embrace of far-right figures and ideologies in recent years adds context to this controversial event.
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Neo-Nazis are openly celebrating Elon Musk’s actions at Trump’s inauguration, specifically focusing on what many are calling a Nazi salute. The gesture, performed twice, involved raising a right arm with the palm down and fingers together – a clear imitation of the salute famously used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. This isn’t a matter of opinion; the visual evidence speaks for itself. The similarity isn’t subtle; it’s a direct and deliberate replication.
The fact that Neo-Nazis are celebrating this is deeply disturbing. It confirms the gesture’s intentional nature and its appeal to far-right extremist groups. Their enthusiastic response underscores the significance of the event and removes any ambiguity surrounding Musk’s intent. This isn’t about misinterpretations or accidental similarities; it’s about a deliberate act of mimicry that resonates powerfully with those who hold Nazi ideologies.
Attempts to downplay the gesture as merely “Nazi-like” or “odd-looking” are simply inadequate. It is demonstrably the Nazi salute. The argument that it’s “not what it looks like” or that “eyes are deceiving” is a form of gaslighting, a willful distortion of reality that serves to obfuscate the obvious truth. The similarity is undeniable; the intent appears, to most observers, clear.
Some outlets, in their eagerness to avoid controversy, have employed euphemisms like “Roman salute,” attempting to create a distance from the undeniably Nazi connotations. This sanitizing of a clearly fascist gesture is troubling and participates in the broader problem of minimizing the impact of hate symbols. Such efforts serve only to whitewash a serious incident and allow for the continued propagation of harmful ideologies.
The fact that some people claim the enthusiastic crowd reaction disproves the Nazi association is ludicrous. The cheering crowd only proves that there is a significant segment of the population sympathetic to, if not actively supportive of, such displays of overt fascist symbolism. The crowd’s reaction, far from refuting the gesture’s Nazi meaning, actually underscores its chilling significance.
The casual manner in which Musk repeated the gesture twice indicates a calculated attempt to appeal to a specific, and dangerous, subset of the population. This behavior suggests a deeply concerning lack of awareness or, more worryingly, a conscious embrace of the salute’s hateful implications. It would be incredibly naive to think that such actions don’t hold specific meaning for those receptive to extremist symbols.
The response from the media has been varied, ranging from outright denial of the salute’s true nature to attempts at cautious phrasing. This hesitant reporting creates an environment where dangerous ideologies can flourish, as if by minimizing the act itself we somehow make its implications less significant.
What’s particularly concerning is the attempt to deflect attention onto the alleged misinterpretation of the gesture, rather than acknowledging and condemning its overt and undeniable fascist symbolism. This deliberate evasion contributes to the ongoing normalization of such symbols within the political landscape. This normalization process allows these symbols and ideologies to spread and become accepted within mainstream culture.
In essence, the celebration of Elon Musk’s actions by Neo-Nazis removes any plausible deniability. The gesture is unequivocally a Nazi salute, regardless of whether the performer understands its full historical and contemporary weight. This isn’t about semantics or nuance; it’s about recognizing and condemning an act deeply offensive and deeply resonant with those who embrace the most hateful ideologies of the 20th century and beyond. This incident demands open acknowledgment of the gesture’s true nature and a clear condemnation of the harmful symbols employed.