News24 | ‘Is the German public aware of this?’: Elon Musk criticises German-funded migrant rescue efforts

Elon Musk sparked controversy with feedback on Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean, calling them an “invasion” of Italy.

• Elon Musk criticised German-funded migrant rescue operationsin the Mediterranean, calling them an “invasion” of Italy.
• Musk shared a post calling for a victory of the some distance-correctuncover together AfD a week earlier than regional elections.
• Berlin is in a row with Italy over the NGO sea operations,with Italian High Minister Giorgia Meloni hectic that charity shipsdisembark the rescued migrants in their possess countries.

BillionaireElon Musk on Saturday waded into German politics at a time of a heated debateon immigration all the procedure thru Europe, announcing Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations inthe Mediterranean might maybe presumably be seen as an “invasion” of Italy.

Musk, whowas born in South Africa, has Canadian nationality and lives in the UnitedStates, shared a post calling for a victory of the some distance-correct uncover together AfD a weekearlier than regional elections in two major German states.

As theGerman international ministry hit back, he intensified his criticisms, announcing that”if a authorities in a democracy goes in opposition to the will of the folks, itwants to be voted out.”

Berlin islocked in a row with Italy over the NGO sea operations, with Italian HighMinister Giorgia Meloni on Friday hectic that charity ships disembark therescued migrants in their possess countries.

Musk shareda post on X by a user is known as “Radio Genoa” that blasted GermanNGO operations in the Mediterranean and expressed hope that “AfD wins theelections to conclude this European suicide”.

To Musk’ssearch files from of if the “German public is aware of this”, the German internationalministry answered curtly: “Yes. And it be known as saving lives.”

The internationalministry’s acknowledge precipitated the social media platform’s boss to sharpen his criticism,writing in another post early Saturday: “Frankly, I doubt that a majorityof the German public supports this.

“Fetchyou flee a poll? Surely it’s some distance a violation of the sovereignty of Italy forGermany to transport colossal numbers of illegal immigrants to Italian soil? Hasinvasion vibes,” Musk added.

‘Amazement’

Meloninowadays wrote a letter of complaint to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz toexplicit her “amazement” about Berlin funding charities helpingirregular migrants in her country.

Asked aboutthe letter, Berlin confirmed that it was providing between 400 000 euros and800 000 euros every to 2 projects concerning to migrants.

Theprojects had been “for the strengthen on land in Italy of folks rescued at seaand an NGO mission for sea-rescue operations”.

At a pressconvention this week following talks with her Italian counterpart, Germany’sInternational Minister Annalena Baerbock defended Berlin’s backing of rescuemissions.

She said:

“Theyare committed to countering the deaths in the Mediterranean with humanity,precisely consequently of the European joint sea rescue service Mare Nostrum now no longerexists,” she added, relating to the Italian authorities’s one year-longoperation which rescued greater than 100,000 migrants earlier than ending in 2014.

More than130 000 migrants beget arrived on Italy’s shores so some distance this one year, nearly doublethe number closing one year, in line with interior ministry figures.

In Germanytoo, new arrival numbers beget risen sharply, prompting Berlin to stutterWednesday that it would step up policing of its borders with Poland and theCzech Republic, in a expose to conclude folks smugglers.

READ | Germany bans ‘cult-admire, deeply racist’ some distance-correct community, raids two dozen residences over 12 states

Ahead ofregional elections on 8 October in the states of Bavaria and Hesse, immigrationhas additionally emerged as a key subject, with Bavarians citing it as the significantsubject in a most up-to-date poll.

Scholzacknowledged in an interview with newspaper community RedaktionsnetzwerkDeutschland that the numbers of asylum seekers is “currently toohigh”.

Hisauthorities is “fully in settlement that irregular migration in theEuropean Union wants to be stopped,” he said in the interview publishedThursday.

“Thatcan easiest be carried out together and with team spirit,” the chancellor said,underlining that he backed straggle to defend the EU’s borders.