Spain's Sanchez says Musk attacks Europe's institutions, incites hatred

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday attacked billionaire Elon Musk for interfering in European politics, accusing him of undermining democracy.

"The international far-right that we have been opposing in Spain for years, led in this case by the richest man on the planet, openly attacks our institutions, incites hatred and openly supports the heirs of Nazism in Germany," Sanchez said of Musk without directly naming him during.

Sanchez was speaking in Madrid at an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

Musk, who is set to serve under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as an external adviser in charge of streamlining the government, waded into Spanish affairs on Sunday by commenting on X about an article that said that rape convictions in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia were mainly carried out by foreigners.

Sanchez said that democracy is fragile and faced an existential threat.

"If history teaches us anything, it is that freedom is never permanently conquered," he said.

(Reporting by David Latona, editing by Inti Landauro and Charlie Devereux)

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