Milei uses Holocaust Remembrance Day speech to talk about Elon Musk
Argentina's president paid tribute to the victims of the genocide perpetrated by Nazi regime at an event in Buenos Aires on Monday, during which he defended billionaire Elon Musk and celebrated the release of hostages held by Hamas.
President Javier Milei on Monday used a speech at an event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day to offer another defence of billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who was recently accused of making a Nazi salute.
Milei, 54, delivered a speech at the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to mark the occasion, which falls on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
During it, Milei defended Musk, reiterated his support and admiration for US President Donald Trump and celebrated the release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terrorist group under a nascent ceasefire deal.
“Beware of those who, in a banal way, make false accusations of '[being a] Nazi' against those who do not think like them, just as leftists did with my friend Elon Musk, who is an impeccable defender of the State of Israel,” said Argentina’s President.
Milei added: “But we should not be surprised because so many times these false accusations come from the same people who defend Hamas terrorists and rant against the State of Israel.”
Argentina’s outspoken leader had previously defended his "dear friend" Musk, the billionaire owner of X, SpaceX and Tesla, during a speech last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
During it, he claimed that Musk "has been unjustly vilified by 'wokeism'” because of an “innocent gesture."
At an event marking Trump's inauguration, Musk sparked controversy by striking his chest with his right hand before extending his arm with an open palm — a gesture interpreted by many as resembling a Nazi salute.
Praise for Trump
Milei, who has realigned Argentina’s foreign policy, with Israel and the United States as his guiding stars, also celebrated Trump’s return to the White House.
Last week, Milei was one of few foreign leaders to attend the Republican leader’s inauguration ceremony in Washington.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the commitment of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to uphold the negotiations that will allow the hostages to return home; among them, the nine Argentines who are still being held hostage and for whose release we demand the utmost haste,” he said, referring to the recent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In another part of his speech, which lasted just over seven minutes, Milei drew a parallel between the liberation of Auschwitz 80 years ago and the Israeli hostages.
“This particular anniversary has a very special emotional and symbolic weight for me. On the one hand, because it is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and on the other, because of the liberation of the hostages in Gaza, which began a few days ago,” he said.
For Milei, the world “is living in a situation that has more and more similarities with what was happening before the beginning of the Holocaust,” and he said that the attacks on Israel reflect “anti-Semitism and hatred towards Western civilisation.”
“The enemy may change its banner, but its miserable cause remains intact. The terrorist groups that exist today, if they had the capacity, would mindlessly exterminate the Jewish people and erase the State of Israel if they could,” he added.
‘Obligation’
Milei closed by stating that leaders of nations have “the obligation and the responsibility” not to make the same mistakes as the leaders of the past,” adding that “silence or looking the other way is no longer an option.”
“Raising our voices against anti-Semitic intolerance and terrorism is a duty,” he said and concluded: ”Sometimes the world is so narrow and short-minded that many are not even prepared to listen to the message of freedom.”
Milei was accompanied at the event by Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni, Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona, Education Security Carlos Torrendell, Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Bustamante and Eyal Sela, Israel’s Ambassador to Argentina.
Marcelo Mindlin, the president of the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires, praised Milei for “his firm demand for the release of those kidnapped by Hamas, for supporting the right of the State of Israel to exist and for promoting the inclusion of Hamas in the list of terrorist groups.”
– TIMES/NA/AFP