Elon Musk shared on his social network, X, a piece od desinformation related to the cancellation of the presidential elections in Romania.
The billionaire, who is showing an increasing interest in European politics and so-called sovereignist parties, reposts a claim stating that former European Commissioner Thierry Breton admitted that the EU has canceled the elections in Romania and will also cancel those in Germany if necessary.
Musk's comment is brief: "Tyrannical behavior."
What did former Commissioner Breton actually say
Musk has been in a dispute with former Commissioner Breton for some time. The cause: EU regulations regarding social networks, for which Thierry Breton was one of the initiators.
The former European Commissioner warned again on Thursday about what Elon Musk is doing and his interference in the electoral processes in the EU. He calls for "cool heads" in the face of these interventions.
He states that freedom of expression is a fundamental element in Europe, but interference in the electoral process must be sanctioned.
And the European Commission has a new legal arsenal to regulate the digital space - DSA, a law that can combat abuses of dominant position and block illegal content and disinformation.
Despite Musk's attacks, Thierry Breton assures that the owner of X remains for the moment just a "citizen" and is not yet a member of the Trump government.
"In practice, he has the right to think and say what he wants, even if he does it in a shocking way. On the other hand, what he does on the X network, even though it belongs to him, from the moment it operates in Europe, then we regulate it, the law already exists," he points out.
"From the moment he appears in Europe, he must respect European rules. With AfD (the extremist party that Musk supports in Germany), he must respect them. It is obvious, I am sure that we will take all measures to ensure that he respects the law.
If he does not respect it, there are fines and the possibility of a ban. We are equipped, we must apply these laws to protect our democracies in Europe," stated Thierry Breton.
And Germany must follow Romania's example in case of foreign intervention in elections and apply European laws.
"Let's wait and see what happens. Let's keep calm and apply the laws in Europe when they risk being circumvented and when, if not applied, they can lead to interference (in elections). We did it in Romania and obviously if necessary, we will do it in Germany," is the exact quote in which Breton refers to the elections in our country and external interference on networks, which distorted the presidential election.
DSA, which came into force in 2022, imposes obligations in the EU to remove illegal content, combat disinformation, and protect elections.
Who is Musk promoting
The page on X taken by Elon Musk is actually a kind of fan site of Călin Georgescu, who writes daily in English about what the independent candidate is doing, strongly echoes his messages and legal actions, urging people to come to the protests in support of CG.
Everything is exaggerated and presented falsely, in his favor.
For example, about the Friday protest at the Parliament, Daily Romania writes:
"Over 20,000 people now at the pro-Georgescu protest in Bucharest, after the corrupt establishment canceled the elections. To hell with the EU, Soros, Ursula von der Leyen, and all those who want to keep us as a vassal state."
In a previous post announcing the protest at the CCR, an image from the pro-Justice protests in 2017-2018, in Victory Square, is used.
And when Georgescu went to a demonstration, Daily Romania glorifies him: "Despite security team warnings about the high risk of assassination, Georgescu joined the protesters in Bucharest and is currently standing alongside his supporters, fighting for the Romanian people."