Elon Musk has revealed that his social media platform, X, previously known as Twitter, plans to sue NGOs funded by George Soros for advocating limitations on free speech.
Journalist and author Michael Shellenberger disseminated an article on X drawing Musk’s announcement.
Exactly.
X will be filing legal action to stop this. Can’t wait for discovery to start! https://t.co/ROxXEuO8it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2023
“Exactly,” Musk remarked. “X will be filing legal action to stop this. Can’t wait for discovery to start!”
The article, titled “Soros-Funded NGOs Demand Crackdown on Free Speech As Politicians Spread Hate Misinformation,” asserts that Soros’ Open Society Foundations has channeled funds into various NGOs.
“Politicians & George Soros-funded NGOs say “‘hate incidents’ are rising, but they’re not,” Shellenberger remarked. “The data show the opposite: higher-than-ever and rising levels of tolerance of minorities. The reason they’re spreading hate misinformation is to justify a draconian crackdown on free speech.”
The article’s author Ben Scallan claims Soros-funded organizations are promoting a “censorship agenda in Ireland and Scotland” that encompasses “police searches of homes, phones, and computers.”
Contradicting official statements, Scallan argues that Ireland is not witnessing a surge in hate-based offenses. He says that the reported rise in “hate-based offenses” arises from increased reporting rather than an actual uptick in hate crimes or “incidents.” Scallan maintains that politicians are using the “hype about hate” to justify the introduction of a stringent new “hate speech” law in what he calls an “unprecedented assault” on individual freedoms.
Scallan further argues that the proposed law reverses the burden of proof. “What’s more, the bill reverses the burden of proof under law — if accused of planning to distribute alleged ‘hate’ material, the onus is on the accused person to prove their own innocence,” he wrote.
Responding to Scallan’s claims, Shellenberger posted on X, stating that the assertion of increasing “hate incidents” is misleading. He said, “Politicians & George Soros-funded NGOs say ‘hate incidents’ are rising, but they’re not. The data show the opposite: higher-than-ever and rising levels of tolerance of minorities.” He further added that the false information is being used to “justify a draconian crackdown on free speech.”
Elon Musk replied to Shellenberger’s post, affirming that his platform, X, is planning legal measures to counteract these alleged censorship efforts. “Exactly,” Musk said, “X will be filing legal action to stop this. Can’t wait for discovery to start!”
In 2016, the New York Times reported that Soros had pledged $10 million to fight hate crimes. He mentioned to Time that the uptick in hate incidents against migrants and minorities is because of “dark forces that have been awakened” due to the 2016 election. Soros aimed to allocate $5 million in grants to “community-based and civil-society organizations.”
Among the recipients was the Southern Poverty Law Center, which was awarded funds to monitor hate crime incidents in the U.S., according to Time.
