Elon Musk has sparked controversy by calling for the abolition of the European Union (EU). He posted “Time to abolish the EU” on social media, reposting a statement from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about corruption in the EU.
Corruption in the EU
Orbán stated that “The EU is drowning in corruption. Commissioners face serious charges, the Commission and the Parliament are engulfed in scandal, yet Brussels still claims the moral high ground.” Musk’s call for the EU’s abolition comes after his social media company, X, was fined €120 million ($140 million) for violating the bloc’s online content rules.
X Terminates EU Commission Account
X has reportedly terminated the European Commission’s advertising account. In a separate post, Musk claimed that the Commission had exploited an ad format by posting a link designed to make users think it was a video, artificially boosting its own reach.
Censorship Deal Rejection
Musk also reposted a statement from DogeDesigner saying X “was the only platform that refused the secret censorship deal the EU offered while other platforms accepted it,” responding, “Yup.” This indicates that X is committed to freedom of speech and will not engage in censorship.
Support for Musk
Dutch Member of the House of Representatives Geert Wilders expressed support for Musk, criticizing the EU Commission and calling for its abolition over fines against X. Wilders posted, “Nobody elected you. You represent no one. You are a totalitarian institution and can’t even spell the words freedom of speech. We should not accept the fining of @X, but abolish the @EU_Commission.”
Wider Challenge to EU Authority
Musk’s posts depict the EU as illegitimate and overreaching, indicating his wider challenge to its authority. This move is likely to spark further controversy and debate about the role of the EU and its relationship with social media companies.