ADL calls Elon Musk’s lawsuit threat ‘profoundly disturbing’ and ‘frivolous’ after he accused the group of falsely painting him and X as anti-Semitic

The Anti-Defamation League has condemned Elon Musk’s “frivolous” threat to sue the group for $22 billion over his claim that they cost X ad revenue.

“It is deeply troubling that Elon Musk engaged in a highly toxic, anti-Semitic campaign on his platform this weekend,” ADL CEO Johnathan Greenblatt said in a statement Monday, referring to the #BanTheADL hashtag popularized on X.

But to be clear, the real problem is neither ADL nor the threat of a frivolous lawsuit. This pressing issue is the safety of the Jewish people in the face of rising, intensifying anti-Semitism,” he said.

Greenblatt noted that the slogan has made its way into the real world after a group of neo-Nazis chanted “Ban the ADL” during their Florida march on Saturday, saying threats against synagogues and Jewish institutions are on the rise.

Late on Monday, Musk accused the US-based organization of raising baseless complaints about hate speech and anti-Semitism on X, which has scared off advertisers.

“To clear our platform’s name on anti-Semitism, it seems we have no choice but to file a libel suit against the Anti-Defamation League…oh the irony!” Musk wrote about X.

“Based on what we’ve heard from advertisers, ADL appears to be responsible for most of our revenue loss,” he wrote, adding that the group “could potentially destroy half of the company’s value, so about $22.” billion.’

“Advertisers avoid controversy, so all ADL needs to crush our US and European ad revenue is to make unfounded allegations,” he wrote in a lengthy thread that began with a clarification that he supports free speech, but ‘against anti-Semitism’. Of every kind.’ Musk does not appear to have filed the impending lawsuit.

The controversy began when Greenblatt posted last week that Linda Yaccarino, the executive who had chosen Musk to lead X as CEO, had reached out to him for “a very candid and productive conversation” about “works and what doesn’t” in countering hate. on the platform.

“I appreciated her reaching out and I’m hopeful the service will improve,” he added, saying he’d be willing to give credit to Musk and Yaccarino if X “gets better,” but that he’s will reserve the right to call them until it does.’

Greenblatt’s post on X created a storm among users who apparently feared a crackdown on hate speech, spreading the slogan “Ban the ADL” on the platform.

The slogan was vigorously promoted by white nationalists on X, and was chanted by members of the neo-Nazi groups “Blood Tribe” and “Goyim Defense League” who marched Saturday in Altamonte Springs, Florida, waving swastika flags.

Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year and renamed it X, sparked controversy over the weekend for liking posts with the hashtag before escalating matters with his threat of lawsuit.

And so this behavior isn’t just alarming or reckless. It’s downright dangerous and very irresponsible,” said Greenblatt.

“We need responsible leaders to lead, to stop inciting hatred and to step back from the brink before it’s too late,” he added.

Despite engaging in posts promoting the slogan, Musk made it clear online that he has no intention of banning the anti-hate group from X.

“Despite the massive damage ADL X/Twitter has done, they still won’t be banned from this platform unless they break the law,” he said.

Musk engages with and elevates these anti-Semites at a time when ADL is following a wave of bomb threats and whacking attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions, dramatic levels of anti-Semitic propaganda are being spread by Jewish and Gentile communities, and extremists are marching openly. through the streets in Nazi gear,” Greenblatt said.

X is now private and not easy to value, but the company’s advertising revenue has dropped dramatically since he took over.

Musk blames the ADL for X’s declining ad revenue, though his critics might say his own management moves have played a role, including massive layoffs, the reintroduction of long-banned accounts, and his sweeping rebranding of the service.

Previously, Musk called himself an “absolutist” of free speech, and his threats to sue his critics has led to accusations of hypocrisy from some X users.

One user on the social media platform posted, “What a weak, weak man. His ‘absolutist’ platform for freedom of expression is so fragile that the mere presence of the ADL is too threatening – apparently his business model counts on rampant anti-Semitism.’

Another joked, “I’m a free speech absolutist, but if I don’t like your speech, I’m going to sue you, and if my business partners don’t like it, you can be put to death.”

“If I wanted to ‘clear our platform’s name of anti-Semitism,’ I would simply rid the platform I own of Nazi propagandists instead of communicating with and promoting them,” a third wrote.

In addition, last month X filed a lawsuit against a non-profit organization that monitors hate speech and made similar allegations of poisoning the water for online users.

Attorneys for X alleged that the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) orchestrated a “scare campaign to drive advertisers off the X platform.”

At the time, X officials accused CCDH of publishing reports showing that X took no action against hate speech on the app.

They also accused CCDH in the lawsuit of committing “a series of unlawful acts designed to gain unlawful access” to the platform’s data.

A study published in 2022 by Montclair State University found that there was a spike in hate speech the day after Musk took over Twitter in October.

According to university officials, the data showed a “correlation between Musk’s arrival” and “hostile content on Twitter.”

Similarly, GLAAD recently named X — and subsequently Twitter — as the “most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people” in its Social Media Safety Index.