Musk Slams EU as “Fourth Reich” Following €120 Million Fine on X

By Staff, Agencies

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has sharply criticized the European Union, comparing the bloc to Nazi Germany after X, his social media platform, was fined €120 million [$163 million] for violating transparency requirements under the 2022 Digital Services Act.

The law enforces accountability standards for content moderation and advertising transparency.

The EU Commission ruled that X’s advertising lacked sufficient transparency and that its blue checkmark “verified account” system was misleading to users. In response, Musk reposted a message reading “The Fourth Reich” alongside an image of the EU flag peeling away to reveal a Nazi flag, commenting: “Pretty much.”

Musk further condemned the EU as a “bureaucratic monster,” accusing its leadership of “slowly smothering Europe to death,” and called for the bloc’s dissolution, advocating for sovereignty to return to individual countries to better represent their citizens.

Top US officials have voiced support for Musk. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the fine as “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” declaring that “the days of censoring Americans online are over.”

US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder similarly criticized the move, emphasizing Washington’s opposition to censorship and burdensome regulations targeting US companies abroad.

The EU, however, defended its ruling. Henna Virkkunen, Commission Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, stated that the fine was warranted due to X’s misleading practices, including deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring ad information, and blocking researchers. She emphasized that such behavior has no place on online platforms in the EU.