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European Commission Pulls Advertising From X/Twitter Following Elon Musk’s Latest Antisemitic Outburst
X/Twitter owner Elon Musk. Photo: Reuters/Jaap Arriens
The European Union’s top executive body has suspended advertising on the X/Twitter social media platform, citing concerns over the spread of antisemitism and disinformation concerning the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
The decision came amid a new antisemitism controversy involving Elon Musk — the platform’s billionaire CEO — who effusively endorsed an antisemitic posting on Wednesday.
In an internal communication to staff that was first reported by Politico‘s Brussels bureau, Dana Spinant — the deputy chief spokesperson of the European Commission — noted the “widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation” on X/Twitter.
The profusion of disinformation regarding the current war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas pogrom in southern Israel on Oct. 7, had led the Commission to “recommend to temporarily suspend advertising on this platform until further notice to avoid risks of reputational damage,” Spinant wrote.
Spinant added that the Commission “will consider using alternative platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook) or digital advertising on websites, as appropriate. We are also exploring new platforms to diversify our social media presence.”
According to Politico, the Musk-owned platform has been under “growing scrutiny in Europe as a result of the bloc’s new content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission, which enforces the law, in October sent a formal request for information to the company to explain how its handling of illegal content and disinformation connected to Hamas’ October 7 attack complies with the DSA.”
The latest storm around Musk’s ongoing flirtation with antisemitic tropes concerned his endorsement of an unambiguously antisemitic post.
An account belonging to “The Artist Formerly Known as Eric” accused “Jewish communties [sic]” of “pushing the exact kind of dialectical [sic] hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.”
Invoking the “Great Replacement Theory” — a far right conspiracy theory holding that white people are being systematically displaced by immigrants of color — the posting continued: “I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest s—t now about Western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much. You want truth said to your face, there it is.”
Musk then retweeted the post, adding the comment: “You have said the actual truth.”
You have said the actual truth
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2023
As well as the European Commission, top corporations are considering ending advertising campaigns on X/Twitter, which has seen its revenues collapse over the last year against the background of Musk’s antics.
On Friday, IBM announced that it was suspending advertising. “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Similar moves are being considered by Apple, Oracle, and NBC Universal.
Top executives are also piling the pressure on Musk. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who is also CEO of project-management software maker Asana Inc., called on the billionaire to resign, while Kristin Hull, founder and chief executive officer of Nia Impact Capital, a social-impact fund that owns nearly $300,000 of stock in Tesla, the electric car manufacturer also owned by Musk, said she was “appalled.”
“The impact of erratic, racist, and antisemitic speech from a CEO directly affects Tesla’s brand and bottom line in significant ways,” Hull said on Thursday. “This behavior has the power to tarnish the brand long-term.” She recommended that an appropriate response to Musk’s actions would include “censure by the Board, demotion, re-assignment, suspension, or removal.”
As well as calling for Musk to step down, Moskovitz urged X/Twitter’s recently appointed CEO, Linda Yaccarino, to resign from her post.
However, in a tweet on Thursday, Yaccarino appeared to back Musk, insinuating that alleged anti-white racism was as serious a problem as antisemitism or racism targeting minorities.
“X’s point of view has always been very clear that discrimination by everyone should STOP across the board — I think that’s something we can and should all agree on,” she wrote. “When it comes to this platform — X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world — it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”
The post European Commission Pulls Advertising From X/Twitter Following Elon Musk’s Latest Antisemitic Outburst first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says
FILE PHOTO: FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump’s proposed budget request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday the agency was aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.
While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a social media post: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
According to CBS News, which cited witnesses at the scene, a suspect attacked people with Molotov cocktails who were participating in a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza.
The Boulder Police Department said it was responding to a report of an attack in the city involving several victims. It has not released further details but a press conference was expected at 4 p.m. Mountain Time (2200 GMT).
The attack comes just weeks after a Chicago-born man was arrested in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
The shooting fueled polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
The post FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated
An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF
i24 News – Khalil Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, the terrorist who commanded the terrorist cell that killed 21 soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, the IDF said on Sunday.
In a joint operation between the military and the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist was spotted in a reconnaissance mission. The troops called up an aircraft to target him, and he was eliminated.
Khatib planned and took part in many other terrorist plots against Israeli soldiers.
i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel interviewed Dor Almog, the sole survivor of the mass casualty disaster, who was informed on live TV about the death of the commander responsible for the killing his brothers-in-arms.
“I was sure this day would come – I was a soldier and I know what happens at the end,” said Almog. “The IDF will do everything to bring back the abductees and to topple Hamas, to the last one man.”
The post Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81
FILE PHOTO: Vice Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Stanley Fischer arrives to hear Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivering the Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
Stanley Fischer, who helped shape modern economic theory during a career that included heading the Bank of Israel and serving as vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, has died at the age of 81.
The Bank of Israel said he died on Saturday night but did not give a cause of death. Fischer was born in Zambia and had dual US-Israeli citizenship.
As an academic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fischer trained many of the people who went on to be top central bankers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as well as Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank president.
Fischer served as chief economist at the World Bank, and first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis and was then vice chairman at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005.
During an eight-year stint as Israel’s central bank chief from 2005-2013, Fischer helped the country weather the 2008 global financial crisis with minimal economic damage, elevating Israel’s economy on the global stage, while creating a monetary policy committee to decide on interest rates like in other advanced economies.
He was vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017 and served as a director at Bank Hapoalim in 2020 and 2021.
Current Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron praised Fischer’s contribution to the Bank of Israel and to advancing Israel’s economy as “truly significant.”
The soft-spoken Fischer – who played a role in Israel’s economic stabilization plan in 1985 during a period of hyperinflation – was chosen by then Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as central bank chief.
Netanyahu, now prime minister, called Fischer a “great Zionist” for leaving the United States and moving to Israel to take on the top job at Israel’s central bank.
“He was an outstanding economist. In the framework of his role as governor, he greatly contributed to the Israeli economy, especially to the return of stability during the global economic crisis,” Netanyahu said, adding that Stanley – as he was known in Israel – proudly represented Israel and its economy worldwide.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute.
“He played a huge role in strengthening Israel’s economy, its remarkable resilience, and its strong reputation around the world,” Herzog said. “He was a world-class professional, a man of integrity, with a heart of gold. A true lover of peace.”
The post Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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