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Newsweek: German Court Gives Elon Musk’s X a Knockback Ahead of Key Election

byPolitics Editorial Team
9. February 2025

Last week, a German Court ruled against Elon Musk’s platform X, in a case where civil rights groups demanded insight into user data of X, according to a new legislation targeting election interferences by online users. Musk’s X was ordered to allow research into their user data.
This legal case was moved forward in view of the German election taking place in 2 weeks.
As well, German and EU authorities are getting coordinated in fighting back against Musk because of his critical political voice: lately, Musk supported the German far-right party AfD, with personal remarks on X and during a live stream of an interview with the chairwoman of the AfD, Ms Weidel, as well with a personal support message streamed at the AfD’s party congress. Musk is a staunch critic of the EU and has reveived threats of legal actions.
Further to this, the German parliament launched an investigation into Musk’s behaviour, with the accusation that Musk’s help and support for the AfD are equivalent to unauthorized political financing.

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But who is Democracy Reporting International DRI, the NGO that is challenging Elon Musk?

According to their website, DRI is active since ca.15 years. Founded by journalists, it has developed into a group of activist offices in some of the hottest places on Earth: Lebanon, Pakistan, Ukraine etc ….

The DRI has seen a rapid growth. It is now a global organization which consumes substantial funds. It has been paid for by divers governments and the EU as well as by a few known mega-rich private donors sharing their political believes. The list is impressive:

Donors

 European Union (funded) Stiftung Mercator

 German Federal Foreign Office

 Civitates

 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

 Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

 United Nations Development Programme

 German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

 GIZ

 institut für auslandsbeziehungen (ifa)test

 Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Robert Bosch Stiftung

 Engagement Global

 Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Region

 Initiative der Offenen Gesellschaft

 Peace Nexus

 Reset

 Embassy of Canada to Libya

 Alfred Landecker

 Porticus

 Civil Society Cooperation

 Open Society Foundations German Cooperation

 Culture of Solidarity Fund Union Européenne European Union (co-funded)

The other successcul claimant against Musk’s X was an opaque group called Gesellschaft fuer Freiheitsrechte, kick-started by tech billionaires, Gates (Microsoft) and Omiyad (eBay), with a self-explanatory cover called Luminate. Surprising, how these super-yacht socialists have made it to become politial heavyweights. Democracy? Only a question of money for how to go to the right Courts? Lawfare?

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