(30 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Berlin – 30 December 2024
1. Wide of podium
2. Close of screen
3. SOUNDBITE (German) Christiane Hoffmann, German Government spokesperson:
“It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election through his statements. As I said, he is free to express his opinion. One does not have to share this opinion now. I think it’s good to point out once again in principle that a voting recommendation is being made here for a party that is being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution on suspicion of being right-wing extremist and that has already been recognized as being right-wing extremist in parts.”
4. Various cutaways
5. SOUNDBITE (German) Christiane Hoffmann, German Government spokesperson:
“So that’s a question that has always been with us since Elon Musk took over X and that is also fundamentally important to us in relation to social media, that we always weigh things up: is it right for us as the Federal Government, for the Federal Chancellor, to be on these social media? And we see that it is a very valuable asset to be able to disseminate our information as widely as possible and that social media are ultimately an important component of our communication strategy and our aim of explaining government policy. And in this respect, it is always a balancing act. Of course, we view what happens on X with great concern, but at the same time it is important to weigh up what will happen if we leave these channels and are therefore no longer able to reach users. And in this consideration, we are currently of the opinion that it is right to be there.”
6. Various cutaways
7. SOUNDBITE (German) Kathrin Deschauer, German Foreign Ministry spokesperson:
“(Referring to Azerbaijani plane crash) First of all, in this difficult situation, I would like to express my sincere condolences on behalf of the Federal Government, on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office to the relatives, to the bereaved families of those people who died in this plane crash. This is a difficult and very dramatic incident for so many people who were on their way and wanted to travel safely to their loved ones at a time between the (new) year and are now dead. I am familiar with the reporting that you are referring to, the reporting in which (Russia President Vladmir) Putin spoke about a telephone conversation with President (Ilham) Aliyev and also the statements made by the Azeri President. Perhaps I would like to categorize it like this: in the overall view, this incident, this tragic death of so many people would probably not have taken place if Russia had not waged its terrible war of aggression, now in its third winter of war, against the civilian population of Ukraine.”
8. Wide of podium
STORYLINE:
The German government has sought to downplay efforts by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to get involved in the country’s election campaign by repeatedly endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party.
Government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said Monday that “freedom of expression also includes the greatest nonsense."
Musk caused an uproar over the weekend after backing the AfD in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest.
Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy.
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/172a8cbdc2ef4990b3c790db19f7cdbf
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in January 4, 2025, 3:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
