Michigan priest loses job over 'salute' in tribute to Elon Musk

An American pastor has had his license suspended by the Episcopal Church after imitating a straight-arm gesture made by Elon Musk during a speech earlier this month, a gesture that some interpreted as a Nazi salute. The pastor, named Calvin Robinson, is the head of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he made the gesture at the end of the National Summit for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 25th.

On Wednesday, the Episcopal Church released a statement saying that Robinson’s “license in this Church has been suspended” after he made a gesture that “many have interpreted as a show of support for a Nazi salute.” The statement continued, “While we cannot know Mr. Robinson’s heart in making this gesture, his action appears to be an attempt to curry favor with certain members of the American political right by provoking his opponents.”

The church statement also noted, “We believe that those who mimic a Nazi salute, even in jest or in an attempt to provoke their opponents, are trivializing the horror of the Holocaust.” Musk's gesture was made during a speech at a celebration of President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th. Musk patted his chest, extended his arm straight out with his palm down, and said, “My heart is with you.”

At the end of his speech on January 25th, Robinson quoted Musk, saying "My heart is with you," and then imitated his straight-arm motion. Robinson released a statement on his Facebook page saying, "In case it needs to be stated: I am not a Nazi," and called the gesture "a joke." According to a biography on the St. Paul's Episcopal Church website, Robinson is from the United Kingdom and has publicly expressed his conservative views in the past.