The NAACP has a message for the billionaire CEO of Tesla after his latest investment.
On Monday (April 25), Elon Musk finalized his deal to purchase Twitter. Shortly after Musk acquired the social media platform, the NAACP called on the Twitter buyer to keep former President Donald Trump banned from the app.
“Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. Disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter,” a statement from NAACP President Derrick Johnson read.
“Do not allow 45 to return to the platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy,” the statement continued.
“Lives are at risk, and so is American democracy.”
Musk handed out $44 billion dollars to buy Twitter. The Tesla CEO previously said acquiring the site was “not a way to sort of make money,” but instead he wanted to protect free speech.
In the past, the self-described “free speech absolutist” has been critical of Twitter’s approach to the first amendment right, Fox News reports.
"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said in a statement Monday.
However, It is unclear whether protecting free speech means allowing the former president back on the platform. Trump was permanently removed from Twitter after the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol.
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