Elon Musk’s fascist-style salute appears to be a Bellamy salute, named after Francis Bellamy, the author of the pledge of allegiance to the flag (Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally, 20 January). This salute was common in the US until the 1930s, when the similarities with salutes to Hitler and Mussolini gave rise to concern that it could be misconstrued.
As a consequence, on 22 December 1942, Congress amended section 7 of the flag code to decree that the pledge of allegiance should “be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart”. Whether or not Musk is familiar with this or any other history, it is chilling that he appears to be unconcerned about being associated with fascist ideology.
Robert Saunders
Balcombe, West Sussex
• Elon Musk has been amplifying far-right parties and, now, giving sieg-heil-like salutes. Four years ago in the Observer, however, Douglas Coupland not only fawned over the man but assured readers that Musk is “not political”.
The Generation X author said Musk “seems to see left versus right as an obsolete binary and instead focuses his altruistic energies on ecology and invention. He seems to be more about the systems that create signals rather than the signals themselves.”
John Gorenfeld
Morden, London
• Elon Musk knew exactly what he was doing. We must not normalise or excuse this behaviour. We must challenge it at every turn.
Martine Frampton
Manchester
• Perhaps Elon Musk will invite Donald Trump to join in on the inaugural flight to Mars (Trump embraces role of demagogue on divine mission to reshape America, 20 January), providing spacesuit helmets can be adapted to accommodate accordingly.
Simon Fowler
Poole, Dorset
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