A protest motion has exploded throughout Reddit following Elon Musk’s gesture throughout President Trump’s inauguration, which critics claimed appeared like a Nazi salute.
Subreddit moderators, who run topic-focused communities throughout the platform, like an NBA subreddit, have been banning group members from posting hyperlinks to X, Musk’s social media platform, to protest the tech tycoon’s controversial arm gesture, in line with an NBC Information report.
Greater than 50 subreddits – ranging in measurement from a couple of dozen members to tens of millions, totaling not less than 40 million members throughout the communities – issued bans this week, the report stated.
Sometimes, the communities comprise many non-active members.
Reddit hosts round 100,000 lively subreddits.
“Last night, at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and known alt-right personality, showed the world who he truly is, and performed a full Sieg Heil Nazi salute not once, but twice,” stated the submit saying an X ban within the subreddit for “Destiny 2,” an internet recreation.
A Reddit spokesperson emphasised that the X hyperlink bans are user-driven, not an official ban from the platform. Reddit has a longstanding dedication to free speech, the spokesperson informed The Publish.
Throughout a rally following Trump’s inauguration, Musk gave a speech thanking the gang “for making it happen.”
He positioned his proper hand on his chest after which prolonged his arm at an upward slant, along with his palm going through down. He rotated and repeated the gesture, including, “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
“The man is without a doubt, a neo-Nazi,” the “Destiny 2” moderator wrote, including that any members posting Nazi ideology or hate speech will likely be blocked “on sight” and not using a likelihood to enchantment.
The moderator accused Musk of permitting blatantly racist posts to remain up on X, and altering the platform’s algorithm to advertise “alt-right” content material.
Musk referred to the allegations of him making a Nazi salute as “dirty tricks” and “propaganda.”
The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit in opposition to antisemitism, got here to Musk’s protection on his personal social media platform.
“It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” the ADL wrote in a submit on X on Monday.
“Thanks guys,” Musk responded, with a crying laughing emoji.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu additionally claimed Musk was being “falsely smeared.”
In the meantime, dozens of different subreddits are discussing whether or not to hitch within the bans.
The subreddit for System One racing, which has 4.8 million members, introduced they had been banning X hyperlinks on a trial foundation, with the intention of a everlasting ban sooner or later.
“Our main concern with a full ban is that while many F1 journalists have joined Bluesky, teams, drivers & FOM have not,” the moderator wrote, referring to an X-alternative that has welcomed creators retreating from the Musk-owned platform.
“But we also realize that it’s a chicken or the egg problem and as a community of almost 5 million, we probably have a non-trivial effect as to what platform is the native source for F1 news,” the submit stated.
On Thursday, the Tesla and SpaceX founder addressed the allegations once more with a submit making jokes concerning the Holocaust.
“Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down!” Musk wrote.
“Bet you did nazi that coming,” he added, with one other laughing emoji.
This time, the ADL spoke out in opposition to the submit.
“Making inappropriate and highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust only serve to minimize the evil and inhumanity of Nazi crimes, denigrate the suffering of both victims and survivors and insult the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah,” the ADL wrote.
