by Elon Musk, Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and prominent conservatives slammed an Axios article about “activists” and warned that lives were “at risk” if Musk reinstated suspended Twitter accounts.
On Thursday, Axios published an article shared on Twitter with the headline: “Activists warn suspended Twitter accounts at risk over Elon Musk amnesty plans.
Musk said he would reactivate suspended accounts after a poll Wednesday showed Twitter users wanted it. In response to Musk’s statement, the Axios post reported: “Activists warn that if people like former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke were welcomed back after a permanent ban on hate speech, the situation would get much worse.” ”
DONALD TRUMP REACTS AFTER ELON MUSK RESTARTS HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT AND ENDS LIFETIME BLOCK
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 9: Elon Musk, Founder and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Expo on March 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. Musk answered a series of questions about SpaceX projects during his appearance at the conference. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Noting that hate speech on the platform has already increased since Musk’s purchase, the Axios report claimed, “Online watchdog groups have reported an uptick in racism, anti-Semitism and other hate speech on Twitter since Musk, the advocate for free speech, turned 44 -Billion-dollar acquisition of the social media company last month, although the billionaire said Thursday it had turned it down.
The piece also quoted activists, including Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, who stated, “Superspreaders of hate, abuse and harassment will be the only people to benefit from this latest Twitter decision.”
However, Twitter users dismissed the Axios piece as just another part of the media revenge against Musk for refusing to endorse liberal narratives.
Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong noted that the alarmist coverage summed up the media’s attitude towards Musk’s ownership of Twitter, tweeting: “The history of our times. Establishment media in a nutshell.”
ELON MUSK PRESENTS “SECRET CLOSET” FULL OF “STAY WOKE” T-SHIRTS AT TWITTER HQ
Still, Cheong conceded, “At the very least, Axios here admits that the people opposed to @elonmusk’s amnesty are activists and correctly identifies the Center for Countering Digital Hate as an activist group – not experts.”
Elon Musk himself responded to Cheong’s comment on the play, tweeting, “Much ado about nothing.”
Conservative digital strategist Logan Hall wrote: “See how the censorship machine works? Leftist activists in internet Hall Monitor groups wash the agenda through leftist activists in the media sending them up the totem pole to leftist activists in big tech. they all work together.”
The billionaire said he believes at least 20% of Twitter users could be spam and fake accounts.
(Getty Images | istock)
Fox News contributor Joe Concha poked fun at the Axios story, tweeting, “Yes. That’s a real headline.”
Libertarian Twitter user Preston Byrne pushed back on Axios’ narrative, writing: “To date I have never seen or heard of anyone being killed by a social media post. However, I have seen social media posts alert law enforcement to criminal behavior. A threat coupled with an IP address is really useful for the police.”
The journalist Carl Gottlieb mocked the activists quoted in it. He wrote, “‘Activists,’ is there anything you don’t know?”
Explaining the real thinking behind Axios’ narrative, Christian Conservative influencer Amy Curtis tweeted: “Let me translate that for you: @elonmusk has broken the left’s absolute stranglehold on one – ONE – social media platform and they are arguing that lives are at risk because you might be exposed to an opinion you don’t like. It’s not about ‘misinformation’ or ‘security’… just about power.”
ELON MUSK PRESENTS “SECRET CLOSET” FULL OF “STAY WOKE” T-SHIRTS AT TWITTER HQ
RealClearInvestigations Associate Editor Benjamin Weingarten dismissed the report, tweeting, “Haters of Freedom will hate.”
The psychologist and author Dr. Jordan Peterson even joined in the mockery, tweeting, “‘Warn activists, let’s all hide.'”
Elon Musk exits the Justice Center in Wilmington, Del., Monday, July 12, 2021. Musk took a witness stand Monday to defend his company’s 2016 acquisition of a troubled company called SolarCity against a shareholder lawsuit in which it is claimed that he was to blame for a business that was fraught with conflicts of interest and never delivered the profits promised. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
