Berlin, Germany - Political activists in Germany said Thursday they had projected an image of Elon Musk's infamous raised-arm salute and the word "Heil" onto the outside of his Tesla plant.

The gesture made by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk on Monday, the day of US President Donald Trump's inauguration, drew comparisons to the Nazi salute, a claim Musk has rejected.

Campaigners from German group the Center for Political Beauty and British activists Led by Donkeys shared pictures and footage online of the protest action they said they had staged late Wednesday.

The word "heil" is seen projected onto the factory near Berlin in the font of the automaker's logo, to spell the message "Heil Tesla," a reference to the Nazi greeting that honored Adolf Hitler.

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Philipp Ruch, founder of the Center for Political Beauty, said in comments to AFP that Musk had given "a Hitler salute, just like American neo-Nazis have been practicing for years."

Musk has rejected as "dirty tricks" and "propaganda" any comparisons between the Nazi salute and his gesture, which he repeated and accompanied with the words "my heart goes out to you" to the audience.

Musk has already drawn criticism in Germany for his vocal support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and repeatedly insulting German political leaders on his X social media platform.

With Germany in the midst of an election campaign, Musk has described the AfD as the "last ray of hope for the country." He also hosted a discussion with AfD top candidate Alice Weidel on X.

The anti-immigration party is polling in second place ahead of the February 23 election, at around 20%. But it is unlikely to enter government because other parties have ruled out cooperation with the AfD, parts of which are treated by domestic intelligence as far-right extremist organizations.

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Chancellor Olaf Scholz, asked about Musk on Tuesday, said that Germany guarantees free speech but stressed that "what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme right positions."

The Tesla factory in Germany has been targeted by protestors in the past on environmental grounds.

In November, police cleared a protest camp in woods near the plant, where activists sought to block the site's planned extension.

In March, a leftist group had claimed responsibility for sabotaging power lines which supply the plant.