- White House condemns support.
- Musk accused of antisemitism.
- European Commission halts ads.
Elon Musk has been charged by the White House with propagating a “hideous lie” concerning Jewish people, subsequent to his apparent endorsement of an antisemitic post on the platform.
Mr. Musk called “actual truth” in response to a Wednesday post that propagated an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Musk has refuted any antisemitic intent in the post.
However, a spokesman for the White House condemned his support for the online-storming post as “unacceptable.”
“We strongly condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hatred,” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, stated.
Context of Controversial Post:
It was observed that the reply from Mr. Musk pertained to a post that discussed a conspiracy theory that allegedly influenced the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter to murder eleven individuals.
Regarding the October 7 Hamas attack against Israel, Mr. Bates stated, “It is unacceptable to repeat the heinous lie that concealed the deadliest act of antisemitism in American history at any time, much less one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
In a previous tweet, X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino stated that the organisation has consistently demonstrated unambiguity regarding its endeavours to address antisemitism and discrimination. It has no place in the world; it is unsightly and inappropriate.
Mr. Musk issued his “truth” remark on Wednesday in response to a post that levelled accusations against Jewish communities for promoting “hatred against whites” and contained anti-immigrant sentiments.
It appeared to be support for the racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory known as “white genocide,” which asserts that Jews “eliminate” the white race through systematic plots to encourage immigration of “non-white” people to Western countries.
Mr. Musk’s response to the initial post “uses specific language that has previously been employed to rationalise violent assaults on synagogues,” according to Zahed Amanullah, a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue in London.
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In 2018, a mass assassin entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and fatally shot eleven worshippers in response to a conspiracy theory.
Musk’s Clarification and ADL’s Response:
Mr. Musk recants his antisemitic stance and later clarifies that his remarks pertained to unidentified “Jewish communities” and not to the entire Jewish population, but rather to organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
“At a time when antisemitism is exploding in America and surging globally, it is unquestionably dangerous to use one’s influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories,” wrote Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the ADL.
The antisemitism controversy arises at a time when certain organisations have ceased purchasing advertisements on X, formerly Twitter, on account of extremist content found on the social network.
IBM ceased its advertising expenditures following a report from a left-leaning media watchdog that positioned its content alongside posts extolling Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Apple subsequently announced that it, too, would cease purchasing advertisements on the platform, according to Axios.
X stated that advertisements are not intentionally positioned alongside extremist content, that advertising does not generate revenue for accounts that promote Nazism, and that particular postings will be labelled “sensitive media.”
European Commission’s Ad Purchase Halt
In a distinct development, Politico reports that the European Commission has instructed its departments to cease purchasing advertisements on X due to apprehensions regarding misinformation concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict.
While refraining from explicitly addressing his own statements, Mr. Musk condemned Media Matters and provided support for other posts that were critical of IBM and the “media” on his platform on Friday.
On multiple occasions, the magnate has reaffirmed conspiracy theories and criticised social media watchdogs, such as the ADL and other organisations, for criticising his content moderation changes at X.
X asserts that its brand safety controls are more robust than those of other social networks and that, despite significant reductions in the company’s safety team, hate speech and extremism have decreased on the platform. Contrary to the company’s assessment, a number of external organisations assert that extremism and hate speech have escalated during Elon Musk’s tenure in leadership.
Mr. Musk issued a lawsuit against the ADL earlier this year, alleging that the organisation was “attempting to destroy this platform by falsely accusing me and it of being anti-Semitic.” Instead of misinformation and extremist postings, he attributes the precipitous decline in advertising revenue since assuming control to pressure groups.
Despite the fact that his threat against the ADL has not materialised, the organisation has filed suit against the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, an alternative research and advocacy organisation.
CCDH submitted a petition to dismiss the lawsuit against X on Thursday, invoking California’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) legislation. In its filing, CCDH characterised the X suit as an endeavour to “censor, intimidate, and silence.”
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