In response to an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report highlighting rising antisemitic and white supremacist content on X – formerly known as Twitter – the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, tweeted that he was considering legal action against the organization. Claiming that the report was “falsely accusing [X] & [Musk] of being anti-Semitic,” Musk argued in his Tweets that the platform’s falling advertising revenue was the result of ADL pressure. In the wake of Musk’s Tweets, the hashtag #BanTheADL trended on the platform, and antisemitic users took the opportunity to spread hate on X and across other social media outlets. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists celebrated Musk’s statements and spread misinformation about the founding of the ADL. Neo-Nazi accounts also took the opportunity to target senior figures within the ADL, specifically its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt. Personally identifying information about Greenblatt was posted across a number of violent neo-Nazi spaces online. Since Musk took ownership of the platform in December 2022, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other extremists including Jihadis have flocked back to Twitter, hoping to find a new audience for their propaganda. Prominent figures such as former Daily Stormer editor Andrew Anglin, neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes (under a pseudonymous account), white supremacist Keith Woods, and groups like the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement have returned to Twitter and gained significant followings. These extremists have viewed Musk’s promise of a censorship-free “Digital Town Square” as an opportunity to regain a foothold in the more mainstream online space, and instances of extremist content on the platform have been on the rise since the beginning of 2023. MEMRI has reported extensively on extremist content on Twitter since Musk’s takeover.[1]
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short break
Due to internet connection problems we’ll be back on Tuesday