--- title: "Huge Image of Musk’s Nazi Salute Projected Onto German Gigafactory" description: "The \"Sieg Heil\" heard 'round the world has made its way to Germany, where activists are using that now-infamous image at Tesla's Gigafactory." date: "2025-01-23" modified: "2025-01-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/musk-nazi-salute-german-gigafactory" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "gigafactory" - "nazis" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Huge Image of Musk’s Nazi Salute Projected Onto German Gigafactory ![The "Sieg Heil" heard 'round the world has made its way to Germany, where activists are using that now-infamous image at Tesla's Gigafactory.]() *\Image: Center for Political Beauty via X\* ## Heil Mary The "Sieg Heil" [heard 'round the world]() has made its way to Deutschland, where activists are using the now-infamous image at Tesla's German Gigafactory to send a bold message. German activist group Zentrum fur Politische Schönheit, or Center for Political Beauty, [posted on X-formerly-Twitter]() a short video of its latest political performance: a projected image of Musk's flat-handed salute, accompanied by the word "Heil" in Tesla's futuristic font that was lined up perfectly with the Tesla factory's own logo. The group said in a subsequent post that it worked with the UK-based campaign group Led by Donkeys to "[fight the commercial arm of fascism]()," a clear reference to the Musk-owned electric carmaker. Notably, performing a "Sieg Heil" gesture has [long been illegal in Germany]() as part of its [postwar denazification efforts](). However, it remains unclear whether Musk's gesture specifically would be deemed illegal in Germany because, as [legal experts explained to *Newsweek*](), courts there would have to determine that it was Nazi in intent before making any such declaration. Law enforcement has already indicated that an investigation is underway into the activist groups. As [*Der Spiegel* reports](), state security services are looking into the groups for "using symbols of unconstitutional organizations." "It's about the distribution and projection of this image, taken out of context, which shows a gesture that looks very similar to the Hitler salute," a spokesperson for the Brandenburg public prosecutor's office told *Spiegel*. In response to the news, the group claimed a resounding victory, arguing that investigators had proved their point. "They do see a Hitler salute after all!" the group [tweeted](), as translated from German. "Hopefully, he'll be put in jail for that," the group wrote in a [followup](). https://www.twitter.com/politicalbeauty/status/1882377896440045804 ## Non-Denial Musk himself [hasn't denied]() outright that his bizarre gesture, which he [did twice in succession]() during Donald Trump's inauguration festivities, was a Nazi salute. Instead, he accused those who pointed out the blatant Nazi-ness of the motion of engaging in "[dirty tricks]()" and hyperbolically claimed that his detractors were comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Musk then proceeded to [make a slew of gross puns]() using the names of various Nazi leaders — an escalation of his increasingly edgelord behavior that [earned him condemnation from Jewish groups]() including the Anti-Defamation League, which had defended his Nazi salute as an "[awkward gesture]()" days prior. During an [appearance at Davos, Switzerland]() following the salute, German chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to leave the door open to potential blowback for the salute. "We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany," Scholz said at the billionaire convention. "What we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions. And this is what I would like to repeat again." While Germany's leader may be playing demure about the gesture that [charmed online Neo-Nazis](), its antifascist activists certainly aren't — and they're saying so in an outlandish and, dare we say, fabulous fashion. **More on Musk's inaugural appearance:** [*Elon Musk Seen Acting Strangely Before Nazi Salute*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()