Elon Musk bought Twitter, now known as as X, ostensibly to protect free speech. But that isn’t stopping him from threatening to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group devoted to fighting antisemitism and a vocal critic of Twitter’s efforts to stop hate speech.
Over Labor Day weekend, Musk blasted the ADL for allegedly causing advertisers to flee Twitter. For months now, the group has been calling out the social media platform for failing to take down antisemitic tweets and reinstating user accounts that previously promoted hateful content.
Despite his free speech stance, Musk says the ADL's criticisms are a threat to Twitter’s existence. According to him, Twitter’s ad revenue in the US has plummeted to 60% and the ADL is a major reason why.
“Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic,” Musk wrote in a tweet on Monday. “Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”
Musk didn’t supply evidence of the ADL calling him an antisemite. It's also no secret Twitter has implemented a variety of controversial changes, many of which have obliterated trust in the site, like allowing anyone to buy a verified checkmark, firing much of the staff, allowing previously banned people back on the platform, and threatening to remove crucial security measures, like the ability to block accounts.
Nonetheless, Musk is threatening to sue the ADL for defamation. He’s since been using his Twitter account to rail against the ADL while his supporters promote the hashtag #BanTheADL.
“Advertisers avoid controversy, so all that is needed for ADL to crush our US & European ad revenue is to make unfounded accusations,” he added. (Last month, Musk also sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate for leveling similar criticism against Twitter.)
The ADL wouldn’t respond directly to Musk’s legal threat. But the group is suggesting that Twitter has decided to side with hate groups, rather than try to address the ADL’s criticisms of the social media platform.
“ADL is unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization. This type of thing is nothing new,” the ADL told PCMag.
“This onslaught comes following our participation in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where ADL proudly marched shoulder-to-shoulder with African-American leaders and those from other minority communities. It also follows a meeting with the leadership of X, formerly known as Twitter, that clearly upset these hateful groups,” the ADL added. “Such insidious efforts don't daunt us.”
Prior to Musk's Twitter takeover, meanwhile, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt appeared on CNBC and said he was "hopeful" regulators would give Musk's acquisition "a chance" and that Musk would "apply his penchant for innovation" to Twitter.
In the meantime, Musk tweeted: “To be super clear, I’m pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind.” Musk also doesn’t plan on blocking the ADL’s account on Twitter, “unless they break the law,” he added.