KRAKOW, Poland
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau World War II Nazi German death camp on Monday. This private visit comes after Musk faced criticism for his association with an antisemitic conspiracy theory and allowing hate messages on his social media platform.
A Symbolic Visit
In response to calls from Jewish religious leaders, Musk decided to see firsthand the most symbolic site of the Holocaust horrors. He was photographed during his visit to Birkenau, an area near Oswiecim in southern Poland. Birkenau is fenced off with barbed wire and houses wooden barracks that once sheltered inmates. Visitors can also see the ruins of a gas chamber and a monument honoring the victims. International ceremonies are held at this site annually.
Antisemitism Conference
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, Musk’s visit coincided with a conference organized by the European Jewish Association. The conference aims to address the rising issue of antisemitism across Europe. Musk was scheduled to discuss online antisemitism as part of this conference, which took place in Krakow leading up to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th – the anniversary of the camp’s liberation in 1945.
Controversy Surrounding Musk
Musk faced significant backlash in November after his controversial tweets responding to a user’s accusation that Jews hate white people while expressing indifference to antisemitism. In response, Musk tweeted, “You have said the actual truth.” Following advertisers’ withdrawals from X, Musk later claimed that the tweet was the “dumbest” thing he had ever written.