In a recent thread on X, Elon Musk discussed how phrases such as “From the river to the sea” and calls for “decolonization” of Israel are euphemisms for genocide and would lead to suspensions.
Musk, the owner of X, (formerly Twitter) has been in hot water recently due to a series of comments called antisemitic by various organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the White House.
As I said earlier this week, “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide.Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension. https://t.co/1fCFo5Lezb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 17, 2023
The comment stated “You have said the actual truth” in response to someone on X saying “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.”
Many organizations and companies responded by suspending their advertising with X, either due to these comments or due to their adverts appearing alongside antisemitic content – including the likes of IBM, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Apple.
Musk has been in an ongoing feud with both Jonathan Greenblatt and the ADL for several months.
He has accused them of being “ironically the biggest generators of anti-Semitism on this platform!”
He would later announce that X Corp would be suing the ADL for defamation over its comments about antisemitism on X.
A free speech absolutist?
Musk has long touted his “free speech absolutist” credentials. When he bought Twitter and renamed it X, he claimed that free speech would be a core principle of his.
In his post announcing that certain phrases will lead to suspensions, some commentators asked how banning these phrases matches up with his commitment to “free speech” on the platform.
Musk responded by saying “I am sticking to my principles!”
This was followed by “As for any fake advocacy groups who seek to suppress free speech, they should remember that karma is real.”