Karachi: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, bought social media platform Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. Later, he renamed it X. After getting Twitter, Elon Musk immediately tweeted, “The bird is free,” and claimed to advocate for “free speech for all.” However, under the guise of free speech, Musk has consistently promoted his right-wing political views and sought to expand his political influence.
After acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk reinstated nearly 62,000 far-right white supremacist and neo-Nazi accounts that had previously been suspended by Twitter’s former management for extremist tweets and spreading fake news. .
Musk not only supported right-wing politicians like Donald Trump in the US presidential election, but also promoted Trump’s narrative on X and reportedly provided him with nearly $250 million in funding. After Trump’s victory, Elon Musk became a key figure in Trump’s new administration and was seen accompanying him on several important occasions.
After securing his interests in the US, Musk is now openly expressing his right-wing views in Europe, targeting left-wing parties in countries such as the UK, Germany and France, leading to several European countries. I am concerned.
In the UK, Musk has recently been making and sharing anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistani statements on X criticizing Pakistan and British Muslims. Musk has been making these allegations without evidence or by distorting and exaggerating the facts.
Musk’s allegations revolve around the grooming gang scandal that broke out in Britain a decade ago. Due to the involvement of some South Asians in this scandal, Musk has turned the entire episode on X into anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistani propaganda.
Additionally, Musk has been highly critical of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of protecting those involved in the scandal during his tenure as head of Britain’s Public Prosecution Service.
Despite Musk’s anti-Muslim campaign and criticism of the British government, international media have dismissed his claims as baseless.
Prior to these recent statements, Elon Musk had meddled in British politics. During the riots caused by misinformation spread on social media last August, Musk criticized the British government. He even commented on a post about the riots, saying “civil war is now inevitable.”
In late November 2024, after US President-elect Donald Trump announced that Musk would be part of his administration, Musk commented on an online petition calling for a snap general election in the UK. He claimed that the British people were fed up with the repressive rule of the police state even though the general election was just four months ago.
Interestingly, the riots that Musk blamed on Britain’s left-wing ruling Labor Party were allegedly caused by fake news spread by accounts restored on X under Musk’s leadership.
Musk has also called for the release of British far-right figure Tommy Robinson, who is jailed for contempt of court. Additionally, Musk supports Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party.
Musk’s promotion of right-wing ideologies is not limited to British politics, but also extends to other European countries, where he seeks to influence political affairs.
For example, Musk has been directly involved in the German elections in February, strongly criticizing German Chancellor Olaf Schulz on X and calling for his resignation. After an incident last December where a man drove a car into a Christmas market, Musk called the German chancellor incompetent and stupid and called for his resignation.
Musk continues to support Germany’s far-right extremist political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) on his X account. The party is known for its anti-immigration policies and is known as a neo-Nazi organization in Germany.
Similarly, Musk has supported far-right French politician Marine Le Pen and far-right racist politicians in the Netherlands. Recently, Musk also called the European Commission, elected by the European Parliament, undemocratic.
Additionally, Musk criticized Italy’s judiciary for restricting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s anti-immigration policies. Many European leaders have expressed concern over Musk’s recent statements and activities. Without naming Elon Musk directly, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized him, saying, “Ten years ago who would have thought that he would own one of the biggest social networks in the world. International reactionary movement. Support and directly interfere in elections, including in Germany?
Similarly, the Norwegian Prime Minister, without naming Musk, expressed his concern, saying that he is concerned that a person with such immense access to social media and vast financial resources interferes so directly in the internal affairs of other countries. . Democracies and their allies should not communicate this way.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized Musk and his supporters, saying, “They are openly attacking our institutions, promoting hatred, and urging people to support the heirs of Nazism.” have been.” Elon Musk is actively meddling in the politics of several key European countries, consistently supporting far-right factions and justifying his actions under the guise of freedom of speech. However, since Musk took over Twitter, the platform has seen an increase in fake news, increased censorship, and compliance with requests from authoritarian regimes. Meanwhile, accounts revealing the facts have been suspended. According to a report by US magazine Fortune in September 2024, since Musk took control of Twitter, the number of suspended accounts on the platform has tripled. A May 2, 2023 Al Jazeera report revealed that between October 2022, when Musk acquired Twitter, and April 2023, Twitter complied with 98.8 percent of the censorship requests it received.
An April 2023 report from the Los Angeles Times stated that hate speech on the platform had doubled since Musk took office. During that period, a Forbes report noted that Musk’s Twitter complied with nearly every government request. This situation raises the question of why Musk is doing this and why he is meddling so deeply in European politics after the US. According to an article in The Guardian by American professor and political commentator Robert Reich, “It’s clear that Musk isn’t doing it for the money—he already has more wealth than a single person could make in a lifetime.” In part, it’s ideological. Musk casts himself as a champion of free speech, a narrative that pits him against Europe’s and Canada’s tougher response to hate speech The roots of neo-fascism Can be deeper.
Reich continued, “I’m not a psychologist, but I suspect that, as a South African immigrant, Musk would be motivated by seeing non-whites immigrating to white-majority countries. can.” The article also suggests that Musk’s leanings toward right-wing extremism may be partly due to his relationship with his transgender child. On X, Musk has consistently criticized transgender rights, promoted anti-trans content, and called for the arrest of trans care providers to minors. However, Musk’s recent efforts to push countries toward neo-fascist right-wing ideologies may be due to his renewed thirst for global influence in right-wing politics. After Donald Trump’s victory in the US, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has reportedly decided to align its policies with Trump and Musk’s narrative, even going so far as to sell its plates. Also announced removal of fact checkers from forms.
Elon Musk’s use of X raises serious questions about the role of social media platforms in global politics. While claiming to promote free speech, Musk’s actions reflect a selective approach aligned with his political agenda. It often amplifies harmful content while silencing dissenting voices. Increased censorship, misinformation, and Musk’s growing influence in European politics highlight the billionaire’s enormous power to shape public discourse through social media.