IFPTE Condemns SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Endorsement of Antisemitic and Racist Propaganda
Musk’s hateful comments, disdain for worker rights, and workplace safety should be grounds for NASA to reassess its relationship with Mr. Musk and his companies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC – The executive officers of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), issued the following statement in response to the latest public comment by Elon Musk, the majority owner and chairman of X (formerly Twitter) and Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX, NASA’s 2nd largest contractor.
IFPTE President Matthew Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson commented:
On behalf of our vibrant and diverse membership across the country and across America’s beautiful and resilient tapestry of races, cultures, and religions, IFPTE condemns in the strongest possible terms Elon Musk’s grotesque endorsement of racist, antisemitic propaganda that spreads false bigoted narratives and has been used historically to stoke violence and threaten democracy.
While we were appalled by the blatant and cavalier nature of his recent statement on X, we were not surprised. Mr. Musk has a long-standing disdain for worker rights and safety, especially the right to organize, that reflects a callous, authoritarian, and reactionary view of the world. We were however surprised that, rather than joining the chorus of condemnation against Mr. Musk, NASA leadership chose to celebrate Mr. Musk and SpaceX for the company’s unsuccessful rocket launch on Saturday morning. By doing so, we are deeply concerned that NASA leadership risks re-writing history to align itself with Mr. Musk’s ongoing distorted and self-promoting public narrative. For NASA leadership to cheerlead for Mr. Musk on X, the very platform that he is using to promote Nazis, antisemitic conspiracy theorists, and other racists, compounds NASA’s obliviousness to the severe hurtfulness of Mr. Musk’s words for many NASA workers.
We therefore ask that NASA and the rest of the U.S. government reassess its relationship with Mr. Musk, particularly the billions of dollars in taxpayer money that his companies receive as a government contractor, as it is dangerously naïve to believe that his skewed view of reality and his disregard for worker dignity won’t jeopardize NASA’s future success.
Across the United States and Canada, IFPTE represents 90,000 highly skilled workers in the federal, public, and private sectors. IFPTE is an affiliate of the AFL- CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress.
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