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Elon Musk has doubled down on his refusal to allow broadcaster and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones back on Twitter, saying as a parent who himself lost an infant, he has ‘no mercy’ for ‘anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain.’
Billionaire Musk, who now owns the tech giant, first shut down users who called for Jones to be reinstated on Friday.
But when pressed late last night to justify his decision, Musk pointed to Jones’ denial of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, in which 20 children and six adult staff members were gunned down in cold blood.
‘My firstborn child died in my arms. I felt his last heartbeat,’ Musk retorted, referencing the passing of his son Nevada in 2002 at just 10 weeks old.
‘I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.’
Two years after marrying his first wife, Justine Musk (née Wilson) and Elon welcomed their first child together, Nevada Alexander – born in 2002. Sadly, Nevada passed away at just ten weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome.
In a Marie Claire essay Justine wrote after she and Elon separated, she recounted, ‘Nevada went down for a nap, placed on his back as always, and stopped breathing.’
‘By the time paramedics resuscitated him, he had been deprived of oxygen for so long that he was brain-dead.
‘He spent three days on life support in a hospital in Orange County before we made the decision to take him off it. I held him in my arms when he died,’ she continued.
The pair went on to welcome five more children together before going their separate ways.
Musk also shares two young children with singer Grimes.
Musk pictures with his first wife Justine, with whom he had baby Nevada Alexander in 2002. Nevada died of SIDS at just ten weeks old
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones takes the witness stand to testify at the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022
When pressed late last night to justify his decision, Musk pointed to Jones’ denial of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting
Musk has shut down users who called for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to be reinstated on Twitter
Musk’s ex-wife, Justine Wilson is seen walking the family dog in Los Angeles – the pair met in college, where Musk relentlessly pursued the aspiring writer
Jones said he did not blame Musk for not allowing him back and railed against the ‘reign of surveillance and censorship’ of big tech and government agencies
Flowers lay next to the name of Charlotte Bacon, carved in the stone of a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in Newtown, Conn., Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022
In this Dec. 18, 2012, file photo, Robert Soltis, of Newtown, Conn., pauses after making the sign of the cross at a memorial to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims in Newtown
Jones, an outspoken conspiracy theorist, gained huge notoriety after he claimed the 2012 massacre in Connecticut was a hoax staged as part of a government plot to take away Americans’ guns.
In a video in which he described himself as ‘the most controversial figure in the world’, Jones said he did not blame Musk for not allowing him back, and railed against the ‘reign of surveillance and censorship’ of large tech companies, corporations and government agencies.
Musk’s refusal to allow Jones to return to Twitter despite his hardline stance on protecting free speech came as the account of former president Donald Trump was reinstated after the Twitter CEO created a poll presenting the question to users.
Around 52 percent of those who responded to Musk’s poll – nearly 8 million people – said Trump should be allowed to return.
Kanye West, who was taken off the social media site for his anti-Semitic comments earlier this year, also returned to Twitter on Sunday.
Musk – who presented himself as a democratizer of internet speech when he took over Twitter – said in October a ‘content moderation council’ would be formed to decide who should be allowed to use the platform.
Musk did not specify who made the decision to maintain Jones’ ban and did not elaborate on the process behind that decision.
Depending on if and when such a council is formed, Jones may be able to return to Twitter.
Numerous Twitter accounts linked to Alex Jones were permanently suspended from Twitter in 2018 and he has not been on the platform since.
In the video posted on Sunday, Jones said he thought Musk was coming under political pressure to not allow him back on Twitter.
Elon Musk responded to a comment from a Twitter user suggesting conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should be allowed back on the platform with ‘No’.
Former president Donald Trump was reinstated to Twitter after Musk ran a poll
Kanye West, who was taken off the social media site for his anti-Semitic comments earlier this year, also returned to Twitter on Sunday
‘I understand why Musk did this. He’s got the ADL and the Democratic party on him, he’s got the EU on him trying to shut him down right now.’ Jones said in the video.
The ADL, also known as the Anti-Defamation League, is a non-governmental organization that deals with civil rights.
‘Now, do I blame Elon Musk for this? No, ladies and gentlemen. And quite frankly, I don’t care if I get brought back to Twitter,’ Jones said.
‘I’m the most controversial figure in the world because I’m the most threatening to the new world order. So don’t expect him to bring me back day one when he has to first get control of the platform before he can even think about that,’ he said.
When pressed by people on Twitter challenging Musk’s refusal to allow Jones to return, he responded with another brief comment: ‘Too bad’.
When pressed by people on Twitter who challenged Musk’s refusal to allow a return of Jones, he responded with just: ‘Too bad’
In October Musk said that Twitter would form a council to decide who should be allowed to use Twitter
Musk on Friday ran a poll asking users to vote on whether Trump should be allowed to return to Twitter.
In that poll 52 percent of users voted that he should be allowed back. ‘The people have spoken,’ Musk said on Twitter, recounting the the Latin phrase: Vox Populi, Vox Dei.’
The phrase translates to ‘the voice of the people is the voice of God.’
The move reversed a ban that kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress was preparing to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
Over the weekend, at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting, Trump addressed his reinstatement, Musk’s takeover of the site and whether or not he actually plans to tweet again.
Via video call-in, Trump said he had heard Musk’s poll was getting a big response, but that he doesn’t ‘see any reason for it (a return to Twitter).’
On multiple occasions Musk has emphasized the difference between ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘freedom of reach’ – suggesting that while people should generally be allowed to tweet, their tweets may not necessarily be promoted to users.
In another tweet last week in which he repeated the mantra, Musk said he would be reinstating Kathie Griffin, Jordan Peterson and Babylon Bee.
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