[imagesource:pexels]

Elon Musk loves to harp on about ‘free speech’ but this time we’re relieved that freedom of expression does not count if you’re making gross comments about the Holocaust.

X, formally Twitter, has drawn a line in the sand when it comes to anti-Semitic behaviour on the social media platform, removing a post containing Holocaust denial remarks.

The only problem is that the whole process of the post’s removal went down in a shoddy fashion, and many netizens remain unimpressed by X’s policy control tactics.

Musk’s platform faced backlash following an offensive post that was made as a reply to a tweet from the Auschwitz Museum. The museum shared a story of a three-year-old Jewish girl who was murdered in the gas chambers of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the offending X user hopped onto the thread to spout what can only be described as hate speech.

The user referred to the child’s death as a “fairy tale” and employed anti-Semitic rhetoric. Initially, X stated that the post did not violate its rules, but later acknowledged the mistake and removed the post following a second review.

X’s policies explicitly prohibit Holocaust denial, categorising it as a form of “violent event denial” and the platform states that it forbids content that denies mass murders, including events like the Holocaust.

Even though it took a hot minute (in the scale of internet timing) to implement the removal of the post, let’s give props to X for having the proper policies in place to keep this kind of behaviour in check.

It’s a steep learning curve when it comes to these kinds of online boundaries. While X has removed the offensive post, the account responsible for it was still accessible as of Monday evening. The company is reportedly reviewing whether the account should be permanently suspended.

The Auschwitz Museum responded to X’s process with detailed screenshots of the incident, clapping back at Musk’s recent announcement of the removal of the platform’s ‘blocking’ feature:

Failing to address the antisemitic and Holocaust denial comments that appear under our posts commemorating the victims of Auschwitz would be a disservice to their memory.

We’ve chosen to block users who promote denial and hatred. This decision stems from our deep dedication to… https://t.co/4tPkjUe9sv pic.twitter.com/iGA9VhAwWd

— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) August 18, 2023

We’ve all seen how Musk has championed ‘free speech’ and has been transparent with X users how the platform aims to curb hate speech and offensive content on its platform, but conflicting reports have pointed out that Musk might just be blowing hot air.

Recent research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) suggests that anti-Semitic posts have increased on Twitter since Musk took over. The CCDH also alleges that X fails to act on a significant portion of reported hateful messages, particularly those from accounts with Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service.

While X has launched legal action against the CCDH, concerns remain about the platform’s effectiveness in curbing hate speech and offensive content. The reinstatement of previously banned accounts, including those promoting hate and violence, has garnered criticism, sparking debates about the platform’s responsibility in combating such content.

Anti-Semitic hate speech is a delicate issue, and conversations around respecting histories of genocide entangled in Jewish communities play out on and offline. For instance, Bradley Cooper has recent garnered a lot of attention for his prosthetic nose he’ll be donning for the new Leonard Bernstein biopic, sparking a renewed debate surrounding actors’ responsibilities when it comes to representation.

But while the Bernstein flick is a more murky conversation, the recent spewing of anti-Semitism on X is not.

As conversations around ‘free speech’ gain traction the world over, it’s important to remember that k*k human beings will sometimes post k*k opinions. It needs to be called out though, regardless of free speech.

Here’s looking at you, X users who think they can fill the Twittersphere with hate.

[source:bbc]