Elon Musk has mostly championed free speech since taking over Twitter. There are a still a number of conservatives who remain banned, including The Gateway Pundit, while he has ignored leftists supporting violence on the platform.
The case of Antifa ‘journalist” Vishal Singh is a particularly acute example. Independent journalist Andy Ngo documented multiple cases of Singh celebrating and calling for violent actions on Twitter. His latest post called for deadly violence against Republicans and Libs of Tiktok:
Vishal Singh, an #Antifa far-left violent extremist in Los Angeles who identifies as a journalist, is calling for deadly violence again. He has declared war on Republicans & repeatedly threatens @libsoftiktok. Singh was invited by @aaja to speak at their conference this year. pic.twitter.com/HGYkcncZ02
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 21, 2022
Singh previously celebrated assaults on actual journalists and demanded assaults against law enforcement. Examples below:
Vishal Singh celebrated violence against Los Angeles videographer @fromkalen. Singh lied about Kalen being racist to justify when he was punched to the ground while working on the field. @aaja do you approve of this violent targeting of videographers?https://t.co/xGA47YsqRL pic.twitter.com/Tmp5gAt4ou
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 20, 2022
No one should find Singh’s advocacy surprising. Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization which has carried out multiple assaults on right-wing groups, law enforcement, and journalists for several years. There were even members of the group at the Capitol Hill riot on January 6th, 2021.
Trump supporters, though, were probably the most prominent victims. The most infamous incident occurred in San Diego on January 9th, 2021. Antifa criminals pepper-sprayed and beat the Trump fans merely for protesting the 2020 Presidential Election results. Police later charged 11 members of the group on multiple felony counts including assault with a deadly weapon, use of tear gas, and animal cruelty. One was later sentenced to five years in prison.
Antifa also embarks on doxxing campaigns against individuals they do not like in order to ruin them financially and personally. Doxxing is a particularly dangerous and illegal tactic that has killed people in the past.
Despite their criminal actions, Antifa groups remain in good standing with Musk. Conservatives such as Alex Jones and Jim Hoft remain banned from the platform despite not committing any violent actions.
Musk has a particular grudge against Jones due to his statements on the Sandy Hook shooting. Here is his official explanation:
My firstborn child died in my arms. I felt his last heartbeat.
I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2022
While one can understand his personal feelings, Musk is adopting the same behavior the previous leadership engaged in. When coupled with Twitter’s financial issues, he is not off to the most auspicious start.
Hoft’s continued ban from Twitter is even more inexcusable. He was banned for violating the site’s so-called “civic integrity policy” for his reporting regarding the 2020 election. News organizations such as CNN, however, remain on the platform despite their amplification of false news stories.
Hoft and Jones should be reinstated without delay while individuals and groups who actually advocate violence in violation of the First Amendment lose their Twitter posting privileges. These include not only Antifa but any user who advocates for assaults. Islamist terror organizations and the Iranian government should also be banned as well.
Too many people in our society adopt morally inconsistent policies while missing the larger picture. While Musk has made some positive changes to Twitter, he will ultimately fail unless he makes the necessary course corrections.