Elon Musk drew predictable fire over his reinstatement of controversial commentator Alex Jones onto X, formerly Twitter, but he did not back down. Instead, the owner flatly declared his willingness to serve time in prison over free speech issues.
He was queried by Jack Posobiec of Human Events over his response if a government agency demanded he strip legal content from his platform.
Musk’s response was legendary. “If I think a government agency is breaking the law and there are demands on the platform, I would be prepared to go to prison personally if I think they are the ones breaking the law.”
Elon Musk says he's willing to go to prison over free speech on 𝕏.
Protect this man at all costs. pic.twitter.com/PGLbmtcJoo
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) December 11, 2023
Free speech means allowing speech that a person disagrees with. As civil libertarians are fond of noting, words everyone agrees with have no need of protection.
As for Alex Jones, he was suspended from the platform in 2018 for his take on the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. The horrific 2012 massacre was carried out by Adam Lanza and claimed the lives of 26 people.
Jones was noted for calling the shooting a “hoax” and blaming it on “crisis actors” who wanted to strip away Second Amendment rights.
He asserted they used the ensuing public outrage to target gun ownership, a claim that enraged many of the survivors and parents.
The commentator was sued for defamation by a parent-led group for $150 million and ordered to pay the litigants. While in court, he acknowledged that he now believes the shooting happened, saying “especially since I’ve met the parents, it’s 100% real.”
Jones’ media group, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy after having almost $1.5 billion in judgments against it. However, a judge ruled in October that the bankruptcy filing could not protect Jones from paying over $1.1 billion of that total.
Whatever critics feel about Jones or even his reinstatement on X, there is much to like about Musk’s clear stance. Popular speech needs no protection as it is accepted by the masses.
But legal speech that goes against the grain is increasingly in danger. In years past it was liberals who vehemently argued that anything could be said without consequences.
Now, the left wants to suppress any speech that goes against their dogma. Whether it’s Alex Jones or the neighbor across the street, the right to free expression is what Musk said he’s willing to suffer for.
That should be respected.
