Image source: ABC News
Alex Jones is one of the banned names on the popular social media platform Twitter.
Although new owner Elon Musk lifted the ban on many blacklisted users, Jones remains on the outside.
Musk
Elon Musk said on Friday that Alex Jones would not return to Twitter, despite some users calling for him to return.
Twitter’s new owner spent the weekend defending his move to reinstate several suspended accounts, including Donald Trump.
When a user asked for Jones to return, Musk refused.
The Twitter owner explained on Sunday, citing the Bible and his personal experience with sudden infant death syndrome.
Ever since he lied about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Alex Jones has been in hot water, saying the tragedy was a hoax.
As a result, he must pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
“My firstborn child died in my arms. I felt his heartbeat,” Musk tweeted.
“I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.”
The response
News of Alex Jones’ continued ban prompted a flood of responses.
Some Twitter users praised Musk’s decision, while dedicated Jones supporters denounced the Twitter owner for his inconsistent support of free speech principles.
Meanwhile, Alex Jones said he doesn’t mind not returning to Twitter and listed other platforms he could turn to.
“Don’t blame Musk at the end of the day because he didn’t bring me back,” Jones told his supporters.
“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 on day one.”
Read also: Is twitter experiencing a crisis under Musk?
Musk’s decisions
Twitter’s new owner’s decision on Jones was announced abruptly and left no room for debate.
However, this contradicted his approach to Trump.
Musk’s decision was based on an unscientific poll on the platform; the results, he said, were the people’s will.
He also suggested that anti-Trump bots manipulated the poll during the voting period.
His stance on Alex Jones also strays from his pledge not to make major decisions or restore accounts until a new content moderation council is established.
Speaking at a Twitter Spaces event, Elon Musk said it could be months before the board meets for the first time.
Additionally, Musk’s new approach has raised questions about the rubric he will use to determine the future of a suspended account.
Users say it will be a decision matrix based on Musk’s personal beliefs, driven by his weirdness rather than objective principles of free speech or clear terms of service.
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