Radoslaw Sikorski has mocked the tech mogul’s space ambitions, after the latter called for the bloc to be abolished on X
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has told Elon Musk to “go to Mars” after the billionaire called for the abolition of the European Union.
Sikorski, a renowned neo-liberal Russia hawk, was responding to criticism posted by the American tech entrepreneur on his X platform. The EU should be dismantled and that sovereignty should return to member states “so that governments can better represent their people,” he said, adding “How long before the EU is gone?” with the hashtag #AbolishTheEU.
Musk’s comments followed a decision by the European Commission to fine X €120 million ($130 million) under its Digital Services Act, claiming the platform had failed to meet transparency rules for ads and user accounts. Musk has repeatedly criticized EU policies, calling them overly restrictive and harmful to free speech. Replying on Sunday, Sikorski said: “Go to Mars. There’s no censorship of Nazi salutes there.”
Sikorski appeared to reference an incident in January 2025 during US President Donald Trump’s inauguration parade. Musk was seen making a gesture similar to the Roman salute, which involves extending the right arm outward with an open palm. The motion has been compared to the Nazi salute, which is banned in several countries including Russia.
Critics including human rights activists, historians, and Jewish advocacy groups described it as a “Nazi greeting” and accused Musk of promoting anti-Semitic ideas. Musk denied the accusation and called comparisons to Adolf Hitler a “tired” political attack.
The businessman has long promoted his vision for space colonization. In 2020, he said SpaceX planned to send the first humans to Mars by 2026 and aimed for a population of one million there by 2050. Trump said Musk had promised to send Americans to Mars before the end of his term.
Musk’s attacks on the EU escalated on Sunday in a move that appeared to challenge the bloc’s restrictions on freedom of speech and echoed Sikorski’s earlier reference to his alleged Nazi salute. Musk replied “pretty much” to a post captioned “The Fourth Reich” on X that showed the EU flag being peeled back to reveal a Nazi swastika.
