100 Jewish leaders call out Elon Musk for promoting antisemitism
A group of 100 Jewish leaders, including some prominent rabbis and academics, released a public letter criticizing X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and its owner Elon Musk for enabling a “new stage of antisemetic discourse.”
According to the letter, the group’s concerns began with Musk’s takeover of the site in October 2022. Musk has been criticized for allowing previously banned users back onto the platform, including Andrew Tate, Kanye West and some notorious neo-Nazi figures, and for reducing content moderation on the site. Musk — who has said he wants to promote “free speech” — has also floated the idea of removing the site’s “block” feature.
Musk has also shared multiple posts that the group described as antisemitic, and they noted he has liked or platformed other such comments.
Recently, Musk threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism and extremism, blaming its criticism of hate speech on the platform for X’s slumping ad sales. The letter said Musk targeted the ADL “as a very clear stand-in for antisemitic representation of Jewish power.” [Continue reading…]