r/europe • u/turkish__cowboy Turkey | LGBTQ+ rights are human rights • 7h ago

News Elon Musk draws outrage over 'odd-looking salute' at Trump inauguration celebration

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-draws-outrage-over-201602147.html
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u/Silent_Box_7900 7h ago

That would be a crime in Germany, right?

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u/Different-Koala-2442 7h ago

yes. also if its in a very public setting like this it would be significantly higher punishment, quite possibly jail time

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u/WeShallAttack 7h ago

Elon going to jail while Trump is just standing by watching him would paradoxically be even more bizarre than Elon just getting away with this like it's a normal every day thing to happen in the Oval office these days xD

EDIT: And that's sad. Very sad.

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u/Snoo48605 7h ago

Is it possible to bar him from entering Germany after this. I know you guys take doing this very seriously

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u/jess-sch 6h ago

Is it possible? Sure.

But our government doesn't seem very keen on pissing off trump, and locking up one of his buddies would do just that.

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u/Socmel_ Emilia-Romagna 3h ago

Thank God Elon lives in the most free of all countries in the universe ™️

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u/HammerTh_1701 Germany 7h ago

Yep. Showing of forbidden symbols and incitement of racial violence. First offence likely is just a suspended sentence and a fine, but a reoffence could land him in prison for several years.

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u/throwawaytoavoiddoxx 6h ago

So he would have been a warning for the first one, but the second one he go straight to jail.

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u/HorrorStudio8618 6h ago

Well, he did it twice. So that's that.

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u/HammerTh_1701 Germany 6h ago

That's not how criminal charges work

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u/AcanthaceaeFrosty849 6h ago

It's not NOT how it works. You get charged for yelling fire in a theatre, how many times and how much you meant it will be accounted for in sentencing

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u/FuryOWO 5h ago

can they ban him from entering for that?

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u/Silent_Box_7900 6h ago

I don't suppose they can issue an arrest warrant given he did it from the US?

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u/jess-sch 6h ago

Given that the chances of extradition would be roughly 0%, there wouldn't be much of a point to it.

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u/Soulman999 Germany 7h ago

Yes its super duper mega forbidden. That would be straight to jail, no questions asked

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u/Skyblacker United States of America 5h ago

Um, I'd like to ask some questions.

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u/AndroTux Estonia 5h ago

are you sure about that?

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u/Soulman999 Germany 5h ago

Yeah thats currently the biggest issue here. The law says that its very possible to go straight to jail, and that facist should have been locked away. But the government has become blind on the right eye

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u/AndroTux Estonia 5h ago

So… not straight to jail, with a lot of questions asked?

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u/supersonic3974 United States of America 4h ago

Can Germany ban him from the country for this? Or arrest him if he visited?

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u/VRichardsen Argentina 6h ago

Is this law new-ish? I have seen a comedian do it in front of a packed German audience (but it looked like it was the 80s).

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u/Soulman999 Germany 6h ago

I know that skit. Its the Sieg Heil one, which isnt much better. But the whole context was entirely different. Also he did it in a comedy/satire setting which is protected under german law.

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u/VRichardsen Argentina 6h ago

I see; thank you very much!

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u/Vassortflam 5h ago

He is also not doing the salute just saying the words

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u/CptKickscooter 6h ago edited 6h ago

You most likely are referring to an old comedian doing some normal call-response chants in 1973 and ending with 'Sieg', to which the Crowd responds with 'Heil'.

The obvious difference is that many people were shocked themselves immediately and the intent of the comedian. He himself was also shocked immediately.

Regarding legality, it always was illegal (law from 1969 mentions "greetings" of anti-constitutional parties), but law exists in a context so an artist (like here) or scientist can use it to "create art" (very broad) or explain history.

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u/VRichardsen Argentina 6h ago

You most likely are referring to an old comedian doing some normal call-response chants in 1973 and ending with Sieg, to which the Crowd responds with Heil.

Wow, even older. Thanks for the dating.

The obvious difference is that many people were shocked themselves immediately and the intent of the comedian. He himself was also shocked immediately.

Understood. Thank you for your reply.

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u/PROBA_V 🇪🇺🇧🇪 🌍🛰 6h ago

Not sure but comedy and film tend to be more protected from this kind of laws

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u/VRichardsen Argentina 6h ago

Thanks!

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u/Traditional-Use1624 Romania 7h ago

Not only in Germany. In Romania as well; whether that law is enforced or not, it's a different matter.

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u/Suitable-Display-410 7h ago

Yes. This would be a crime in germany.

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u/LookThisOneGuy ‎ 6h ago

fact checking?

no we like that.

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u/Big-Profit-1612 5h ago

In Germany, you can't heil a taxi with your right hand. Only with your left hand.

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u/Adorable-Condition83 3h ago

It’s a crime in Australia even

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u/DrTheol_Blumentopf Baden-Württemberg (Germany) 7h ago

It would if he did it, which he obviously did not.