Elon Musk told a rally the German far-right AfD party, just before Holocaust Remembrance Day, that Germany should get over "past guilt."

American tech billionaire Elon Musk made a surprise address at the campaign launch for Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as thousands of people gathered across the country to protest the rise of the far-right party.

Musk made a virtual appearance at a campaign event for Germany’s far-right AfD party, saying “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents.”

Elon Musk made a surprise virtual appearance at a campaign event for Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on Saturday, telling members that they need to "move beyond" Germany's Nazi history.

The world’s richest person has heaped praise on the Alternative for Deutschland party in recent weeks ahead of the country’s upcoming election.

Musk's support for AfD has helped what was once a fringe political party enter the mainstream, lifting it up in front of a global audience.

“In study after study, as well as our lived experiences, X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories.”

American tech billionaire Elon Musk made a virtual appearance at the campaign launch for the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen reports.

CNN panelists descended into a shouting match Monday night as senior political commentator Scott Jennings defended tech mogul Elon Musk

His comments to the hard-right Alternative for Germany party escalated efforts by the billionaire to influence the country’s election for chancellor next month.

Musk's AfD support, followed a gesture many said resembled a Nazi salute, and came as leaders are due to observe the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation.