Elon Musk defends X towards allegations of anti-Semitism

  • Musk touched city in Poland early Monday on a non-public jet after which he took a Tesla from the airport

X proprietor Elon Musk defended the hate speech that it prevalent on his social media platform by alleging that it options much less antisemitic content material than rivals together with TikTok

Musk made the claims throughout a dialog with conservative provocateur Ben Shapiro which was held after the pair toured Auschwitz alongside European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin and Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev.

‘The outdoors audits that now we have had executed … present that there’s the least quantity of antisemitism on X, in case you take a look at all the opposite social apps,’ he instructed Shapiro. 

The convention, hosted by the European Jewish Association, comes after Musk in November repeated a tweet on the idea and declared it the ‘precise reality’ — earlier than apologizing. 

In his dialog, Musk addressed different considerations round hate speech saying: ‘I believe on the finish of the day, free speech wins,’ he mentioned referencing the Community Notes characteristic which permits customers to right feedback. 

Musk, holding his son X Æ A-12 , takes half in a non-public go to to Auschwitz-Birkenau with European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Ben Shapiro and Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev

Musk addresses the European Jewish Association’s convention, in Krakow after visiting Auschwitz 

During his dialog with Ben Shapiro, Musk took intention at DEI-activists, legacy media and TikTok

He additionally took intention at legacy media shops. 

‘Do we wish only a handful of individuals deciding what they suppose is essential? Or ought to or not it’s that the individuals determine what’s essential? And I believe…the individuals determine what’s essential and what to concentrate on. Not only a handful of editors,’ Musk mentioned.  

‘Diversity, fairness, and inclusion…it is best to all the time all the time be cautious of any title that sounds prefer it may come out of a George Orwell e book,’ he mentioned to uproarious laughter from Shapiro. 

Musk went on to discuss his Jewish associates and the truth that he attended a Hebrew pre-school. The billionaire mentioned that round two thirds of his associates are Jewish and due to this, he was unaware of the prevalence of antisemitism. 

‘I grew up round a whole lot of Jewish individuals, I went to Hebrew preschool — my title is fairly Jewish.” “I went to Israel after I was 13 — most of my associates are Jewish, generally I neglect “Am I Jewish?,” I’m Jew-ish, aspirationally Jewish.’

Musk touched city in Poland early Monday on a non-public jet after which he took a Tesla from the airport. 

Auschwitz focus camp was the positioning the place a million Jewish individuals had been slaughtered by the hands of the Nazis. A complete of six million Jewish individuals perished in complete in loss of life camps throughout World War II

The tech tycoon has additionally confronted accusations of a proliferation of hate speech on X, previously Twitter, since his $44-billion takeover of the social media website in October 2022.

In the wake of Hamas‘ barbaric assault on Israel on January 7, the prevalence of antisemitism on the platform has been highlighted. 

In December, the Anti-Defamation League mentioned that in contrast towards the identical time final yr, there had been a 337 % improve in antisemitic incidents between October and the top of 2023.

Musk reviewing a map alongside Rabbi Menachem 

Musk lights a candle throughout his go to behind an indication echoing the cry: Never Again

Musk pictured alongside Ben Shapiro at the positioning of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi German loss of life camp in Oswiecim, Poland

Senior political figures from European international locations and Musk will meet in Krakow ‘to debate and discover options to the astronomical rises in anti-Semitism affecting Europe,’ the European Jewish Association mentioned

Musk arrived in Poland in a non-public jet and took a Tesla automotive from the airport

Senior political figures from European international locations and Musk will meet in Krakow ‘to debate and discover options to the astronomical rises in anti-Semitism affecting Europe,’ the European Jewish Association mentioned.

‘This troubling pattern’ had been escalating because the conflict in Gaza, it mentioned.

The battle erupted when Hamas terrorists launched unprecedented October 7 assaults on Israel, ensuing within the loss of life of about 1,140 individuals in Israel, most of them civilians, in line with an AFP tally primarily based on official figures.

Militants additionally seized about 250 hostages through the assaults, round 132 of whom Israel says stay in Gaza.

Israel has responded with a relentless bombardment and floor offensive has killed no less than 25,1 05 individuals, largely ladies and kids, in line with figures from the well being ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Musk was as a result of communicate on a panel at 4:00 pm native time alongside right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro.

The symposium comes shortly earlier than the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau loss of life camp on January 27, a date that has grow to be Holocaust Memorial Day.

The convention, hosted by the European Jewish Association, comes after Musk in November repeated a tweet on the idea and declared it the ‘precise reality’ — earlier than apologizing

Musk has additionally been accused of contributing to antisemitic conspiracy theories involving liberal philanthropist George Soros 

One million European Jews died on the camp construct by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland between 1940 and 1945, together with greater than 100,000 non-Jews.

A go to to the positioning of the previous loss of life camp is deliberate for convention individuals on Tuesday.

Gidon Lev – The Holocaust survivor and social media star who joined Elon Musk in Auschwitz

Gidon Lev pictured speaking with Elon Musk on Monday

Gidon Lev, 88, is the holocaust survivor and social media star who accompanied Elon Musk on his go to to Auschwitz on January 22. 

 A local of then-Czechoslovakia, most of his household had been killed by the Nazis within the Theresienstadt ghetto between 1941 and 1945. 

Lev was freed by the Russian Red Army in 1945. He was ten years previous. 

Following the top of the conflict, Lev and his mom immigrated to Canada through the USA. 

In 1959, he went to reside in Israel, beginning a farm within the Jezreel Valley. 

He served within the IDF through the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition in 1967. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Lev introduced his message of training concerning the Holocaust to TikTok. 

On his web page, Lev would commonly communicate out about Holocaust denial. 

That similar yr, Lev demanded an apology for Joe Rogan after the comic remarked that the coronavirus vaccine mandates had been harking back to the Holocaust. 

In the wake of Hamas’s assault on October 7, Lev mentioned that he was pressured to stop TikTok because of the quantity of antisemitic feedback he obtained. 

‘A needed to go away Tiktok after the worst bloodbath towards the Jews because the Holocaust. Imagine that,’ his associate Julie Gray instructed USA Today. 

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– ‘Example to others’ –

During a reside dialogue broadcast on X in September, European Jewish Association chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin invited Musk to go to Auschwitz.

Margolin mentioned it might be ‘a really sturdy assertion’ and ‘may contribute so much to Holocaust consciousness and the battle to fight anti-Semitism’.

Musk agreed that it may very well be ‘useful… for example to others’.

Elsewhere within the dialogue, Musk described himself as ‘aspirationally Jewish’ and mentioned he had attended Hebrew pre-school.

‘It’s absurd to be accused of one thing when all of the proof factors the opposite route and my whole life story is in reality pro-semitic,’ he added on the time.

Musk has threatened to file swimsuit towards the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, over its claims that problematic and racist speech has soared on the positioning since his takeover.

X Corp can be at the moment suing non-profit Media Matters on the grounds that it has pushed away advertisers by portraying the positioning as rife with anti-Semitic content material.

– ‘Huge function to play’ –

In a November touch upon X, Musk referred to as a publish ‘the precise reality’ that mentioned Jewish communities advocated a ‘dialectical hatred towards whites’.

The publish was criticised as echoing a longtime conspiracy concept amongst White supremacists.

Musk’s assertion prompted a flood of exits from X of main advertisers and the White House accused him of ‘abhorrent promotion’ of anti-Semitism.

The social media titan later apologised for what he referred to as ‘actually the worst and dumbest publish that I’ve ever executed’.

He mentioned it had been misinterpreted and that he had sought to make clear the comment in subsequent posts to the thread.

After the controversy, the SpaceX founder visited Israel however mentioned the journey had been deliberate earlier and was not an ‘apology tour’.

Israel’s figurehead President Isaac Herzog instructed the tech mogul he has ‘an enormous function to play’ to fight anti-Semitism.

‘We have to battle it collectively as a result of on the platforms which you lead, sadly, there is a harbouring of a whole lot of… anti-Semitism,’ Herzog mentioned.