Elon Musk, owner of
The conference, hosted by the European Jewish Association, comes after Musk repeated a tweet about the theory in November, declaring it the “actual truth” – before apologizing.
Musk landed in a Polish city on a private jet early Monday and then took a Tesla from the airport.
The Auschwitz concentration camp was the place where a million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. A total of six million Jewish people died in the Second World War.
The tech tycoon is also facing charges over a rise in hate speech on X, formerly Twitter, since his $44 billion takeover of the social media site in October 2022.
After Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel on January 7, the spread of anti-Semitism on the platform became clear.
Musk pictured next to Ben Shapiro at the site of the Nazi German extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim, Poland
Musk, who has ensured anti-Semitism thrives on X, will sit down for an interview with Shapiro after the visit
Musk arrived in Poland on a private jet and took a Tesla car from the airport
Senior political figures from European countries and Musk will meet in Krakow “to discuss and find solutions to the astronomical rise in anti-Semitism in Europe,” the European Jewish Association said.
“This worrying trend” has worsened since the war in Gaza, it said.
The conflict erupted when Hamas terrorists launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also captured about 250 hostages during the attacks, of which Israel says about 132 are still in Gaza.
In the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Israel has responded with a relentless bombardment and ground offensive, killing at least 25,105 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
Musk was scheduled to speak at a panel discussion with right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro at 4 p.m. local time.
The symposium comes just before the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp on January 27, a date that has become Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The conference, hosted by the European Jewish Association, comes after Musk repeated a tweet about the theory in November, declaring it the “actual truth” – before apologizing
Musk has also been accused of contributing to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories surrounding liberal philanthropist George Soros
One million European Jews died in the camp built by Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1945 in occupied Poland, along with more than 100,000 non-Jews.
A visit to the site of the former extermination camp is planned for the conference participants on Tuesday.
– “role model for others” –
During a live discussion broadcast on X in September, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association, invited Musk to visit Auschwitz.
Margolin said it was “a very powerful statement” and “could contribute a lot to Holocaust awareness and the fight against anti-Semitism.”
Musk agreed that it “could be helpful…as an example to others.”
Elsewhere in the discussion, Musk described himself as an “ambitious Jew” and said he attended a Hebrew preschool.
“It is absurd to be accused of something when all the evidence points the other way and my entire life story is actually pro-Semitic,” he added at the time.
Musk has threatened to file a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, alleging that problematic and racist speech on the site has surged since he took power.
X Corp is also currently suing the nonprofit Media Matters, saying it drove away advertisers by portraying the site as full of anti-Semitic content.
– “A big role to play” –
In a November comment
The post was criticized for reflecting a long-standing conspiracy theory among white supremacists.
Musk's statement sparked a flood of resignations from major advertisers and the White House accused him of “vile promotion” of anti-Semitism.
The social media titan later apologized for what he called “literally the worst and stupidest post I've ever made.”
He said it was misinterpreted and that he tried to clarify the comment in later posts in the thread.
Following the controversy, the SpaceX founder visited Israel, but said the trip had been planned earlier and was not an “apology tour.”
Israel's figurehead President Isaac Herzog told the tech mogul he had “a big role” to play in combating anti-Semitism.
“We have to fight this together because unfortunately there is a lot of … anti-Semitism on the platforms that you lead,” Herzog said.