Elon Musk to Take Legal Action Against Soros-Funded NGOs for Free Speech
Elon Musk, the visionary behind X (formerly known as Twitter), has made a bold statement. He announced that X would take legal action against organizations funded by financier George Soros, who allegedly advocate for a crackdown on free speech.
In a thought-provoking post on X on Aug. 23, Musk expressed his agreement with investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger. Shellenberger claims that George Soros-funded NGOs have been spreading false information about the rise of “hate incidents” to justify restrictions on free expression.
“Politicians & George Soros-funded NGOs say ‘hate incidents’ are rising, but they’re not,” wrote Shellenberger. “The data show the opposite: higher-than-ever and rising levels of tolerance of minorities. The reason they’re spreading hate misinformation is to justify a draconian crackdown on free speech.”
Musk didn’t stop at expressing his agreement; he also pledged to take legal action against these organizations.
“Exactly,” Musk wrote. “X will be filing legal action to stop this. Can’t wait for discovery to start!”
Shellenberger’s claim was based on an article by Irish journalist Ben Scallan, who highlighted the influence of Open Society Foundations (founded by Soros) in pushing a “censorship agenda” in Ireland and Scotland. This agenda includes invasive police searches of homes and personal devices.
Scallan’s article doesn’t specify which Soros-funded NGOs are involved in this “censorship agenda.” However, it caught the attention of both Shellenberger and Musk.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Open Society Foundations for comment on these claims and Musk’s legal threat.
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Scallan’s article highlights the claims made by Irish leaders, including Justice Minister Helen McEntee, about the rise of hate-based offenses in Ireland. They refer to a reported 29 percent increase in hate crimes in 2022 compared to the previous year.
However, Scallan argues that an increase in reported hate offenses doesn’t necessarily mean an actual increase in hate crimes. The threshold for classifying something as a hate offense is low, often requiring little evidence beyond someone’s claim.
According to Scallan, the police and government in Ireland have been encouraging people to report hate incidents for years, with the police aiming to increase the number of reported hate crimes. This may have contributed to the reported rise in hate-based offenses.
Scallan also points out that people today are more likely to label things as “harmful” and “hateful” than in the past, indicating a broader cultural shift in perceptions of offensive behavior.
As a mixed-race Irish journalist, Scallan argues that there is no solid evidence supporting the claim of an increase in hate crimes in Ireland, particularly against migrants.
He suggests that the heightened focus on hate speech could be a pretext for the Irish government’s push to enact strict hate speech laws. These laws would criminalize the possession of “hateful material” and impose penalties for refusing to provide device passwords to authorities.
The proposed law (pdf), known as the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offenses) Bill 2022, has faced criticism for potentially restricting free speech and shifting the burden of proof onto the accused.
Irish Prime Minister Helen McEntee has been a vocal advocate for this measure.
“It’s hard to believe that despite increasing instances of hate crime and general support from the public to criminalize such acts, Ireland doesn’t yet have hate crime laws in place and will be one of the last countries in Europe to enact such legislation,” she said in a speech.
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