Elon Musk Faces Backlash for Endorsing Antisemitic Post on Social Media Platform
Elon Musk, the CEO of X, recently faced backlash after agreeing with an antisemitic post on his social media platform. The post, which claimed that Jewish communities promote hatred against white people, also propagated the conspiracy theory of “hordes of minorities” flooding Western countries.
In response to the post, Musk stated, “You have said the actual truth.” This endorsement of the antisemitic claim quickly drew criticism and condemnation from various groups and individuals.
The conspiracy theory mentioned in the post, which suggests that Jews aim to reduce white majorities in Western countries by bringing in undocumented minority populations, has long been promoted by online hate groups. It has even been echoed by Robert Bowers, the convicted killer of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, making it the deadliest attack on Jews in American history.
Musk later clarified in subsequent posts that he does not believe this hatred extends to all Jewish communities. However, he accused the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of unjustly attacking the majority of the West, despite widespread support for Jewish people and Israel. He claimed that the ADL cannot criticize minority groups, which he sees as the primary threat, due to their own tenets.
It is unclear what specific incidents Musk was referring to, but the ADL reported a record high in antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2022. The organization noted that while the increase in antisemitism is not solely attributed to a single group, there has been a doubling of antisemitic activity coordinated by white supremacist groups, according to a March audit.
In response to Musk’s comments, the ADL accused him of promoting racism against white people, as well as anti-Asian racism and racism in general. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated that Musk’s statements have amplified a campaign of antisemitic hate against the organization.
The ADL has been critical of X since Musk took control of the platform over a year ago. The organization, along with the Center for Countering Digital Hate and similar groups, has reported a surge in hate speech on X in the past year. However, Musk has either criticized or denied these findings.
In September, Musk threatened to sue the ADL for defamation, claiming that their reports have negatively impacted advertising sales on X. The ADL refuted these allegations, stating that they have not orchestrated a boycott of X or caused significant financial losses to the company.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the ADL recently announced that they would resume their advertising campaign on X to continue spreading their message of fighting hate.
Neither X nor the ADL have responded to requests for comment regarding this specific incident.
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