After Elon Musk made an apparent Nazi salute at an inauguration rally for United States President Donald Trump, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) rushed to defend the SpaceX founder.
ADL faces backlash for defending Elon Musk’s raised-arm gesture
The self-described anti-Semitism watchdog and “leading anti-hate organization in the world” dismissed Musk’s raised arm as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm” in a social media post on Monday.
The incident occurred at the Capital One Arena, where Musk raised his arm in a manner that drew widespread comparisons to the infamous “Sieg Heil” salute associated with Nazi Germany. The ADL dismissed the gesture as “an awkward expression of enthusiasm,” prompting backlash from various quarters, including progressive Jewish and Palestinian rights groups
Months earlier, however, Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the staunchly pro-Israel ADL, compared the Palestinian keffiyeh to the Nazi swastika.
ADL faces backlash for defending Elon Musk’s raised-arm gesture
Activists say the contrast between the ADL’s hurried defence of Musk and its efforts to demonise Palestinians and their supporters shows that the group is more focused on silencing voices critical of Israel than it is on fighting anti-Semitism.
“The ADL is being crystal clear about where it stands,” said Beth Miller, political director at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
“They have made it as clear as possible that they are not a reputable source of information when it comes to anti-Semitism. They are not actually prioritising the protection of Jewish communities at all.”