by Matthew Field and Michael Murphy
Elon Musk has admitted to being “frankly naive” about the extent of anti-Semitism in the West, adding that sympathy for pro-Hamas rallies at US universities “blew my mind”.
The billionaire owner of Twitter, now rebranded as X, made the remarks at an event with the European Jewish Association (EJA) following a visit to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where at least one million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
The entrepreneur has been forced to grapple with allegations that he has failed to tackle online anti-Semitism since his takeover of Twitter. He has also been accused of fuelling an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory.
The Tesla boss apologised after appearing to endorse a conspiracy theory last year. Mr Musk replied to a Tweet that claimed Jewish people were engaged in stoking “hatred against whites”, calling the post “the actual truth”.
He later said the post was the “worst and dumbest” he had ever sent.
The billionaire has also repeatedly clashed with prominent anti-Semitism campaigners, including the Anti-Defamation League. Mr Musk has threatened to sue the group, which campaigns against hate speech and called for an advertising boycott of Twitter.
But speaking on Monday, Mr Musk said he had been “somewhat frankly naive” about anti-Semitism in the West. Mr Musk claimed that in the “circles I move I see almost no anti-Semitism” and added: “Like two-thirds of my friends are Jewish.”
But he added the “pro-Hamas rallies in vast numbers that took place in almost every major city in the West blew my mind, including on the elite college campuses”.
Some rallies calling for an end to the violence in Gaza have been marred by anti-Semitic placards and Hamas sympathisers.
US student groups at Harvard and other universities released statements blaming Israel for the terror attacks on October 7, which killed 1,200 people. More than 23,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s invasion in response, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Mr Musk has claimed that phrases such as “from the river to the sea”, a slogan seen at pro-Palestinian protests, “necessarily imply genocide”.
The billionaire, speaking to US conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, also attacked US students and diversity culture in the West.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI], these all sound like nice words,” he said, “what it really means is discrimination on the basis of race… thus I think it is fundamentally anti-Semitic.”
Mr Musk has been a prominent critic of the DEI movement, hitting out at efforts meant to improve representation, which he said are “against merit”. “Always be wary of any name that sounds like it could come out of a George Orwell book,” he said.
He added: “We need to return to where things were, which is a focus on merit. What matters is how good are you at your job or what are your skills?”
The billionaire added he had been “disturbed” to encounter anti-Semitic claims among “some family members, not my kids”.
The billionaire’s visit to Auschwitz comes as he battles warnings from activists that Twitter has been spurring online hate speech by rescinding bans on previously blocked accounts and loosening its moderation rules.
Education is good. No doubt, discovering the truth about the Holocaust would benefit quite a few. Unfortunately, it has to be sought out. Unlike the fake 1619 “history”, the media doesn’t promote it. But, understanding the Holocaust would lead to understanding how tenacious the Israelis will defend their very existence. It also explains the mindset of those who promote the extermination of Jews.
Elon sees that he was living in a bubble.
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He came out of his comfort zone and was amazed by how other people think.
Good for him.
He was open to making adjustments where he was off in his viewpoint.
Used to be we had debates in America.
Now it’s just one side pointing to facts, the other side having tantrums because they get disagreed with at all.
The billionaire’s visit to Auschwitz comes as he battles warnings from activists that Twitter has been spurring online hate speech by rescinding bans on previously blocked accounts and loosening its moderation rules.
Moderated by whom? The ones that shut down Covid and the laptop?
Hate speech? Who determines what is hate?
The Tesla boss apologised after appearing to endorse a conspiracy theory last year. Mr Musk replied to a Tweet that claimed Jewish people were engaged in stoking “hatred against whites”, calling the post “the actual truth”.
Does anyone think he meant every Jewish person, including the ones from WW2?
Dont back down from the 1st amendment for anyone.