- Elon Musk attended a convention held by the European Jewish Affiliation on Monday.
- Musk has been accused of posting antisemitic content material however stated he was “naive” about antisemitism.
- “I’ve twice as many Jewish pals as non-Jewish pals,” he informed Ben Shapiro.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has been accused of airing antisemitic sentiments and conspiracy theories on his social media platform, X, stated he had so many Jewish pals he was “Jewish by affiliation” however added that he was “naive” about antisemitism.
On Monday, Musk, accompanied by right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro, visited Auschwitz, a former Nazi loss of life camp in Poland the place hundreds of thousands of Jewish individuals have been systematically killed in the course of the Holocaust.
The European Jewish Affiliation organized the journey and held a convention afterward Monday within the close by Polish metropolis of Krakow. In a dialog between Musk and Shapiro, the Tesla CEO was requested by Shapiro a few “radical upsurge in antisemitic exercise.”
The billionaire stated he was “naive” about it as a result of “two-thirds” of his pals are Jewish, he stated.
“I’ve twice as many Jewish pals as non-Jewish pals,” Musk stated as Shapiro laughed within the background. “I am like Jewish by affiliation. I am aspirationally Jewish. So I used to be like, ‘What are individuals speaking about with this antisemitism?’ As a result of I by no means hear it at dinner conversations. It is like an absurdity — no less than in my buddy circles.”
Musk then mentioned what he referred to as “pro-Hamas rallies” on “elite faculty campuses,” saying that college college students shouldn’t be “fostering hate.”
Since Musk acquired X and turned it into his model of a free speech platform, he has fielded near-constant criticism that the platform fosters hate speech.
In September, the Anti-Defamation League put out a report monitoring what it referred to as “virulent antisemitism” on X. Musk threatened to sue the ADL and stated the group was “falsely accusing” him of “being antisemitic.”
Following the row with the ADL, Musk described himself as “aspirationally Jewish” to Shapiro in a September X area. The ADL briefly eliminated adverts on X however later returned, saying it will work with Musk to watch hate speech.
Musk was extensively condemned in November after he endorsed a submit on X that accused Jewish communities of pushing hate in opposition to white individuals whereas utilizing racist language in opposition to “minorities.”
The submit, which blamed Jewish individuals for ushering in immigrants of coloration en masse, appeared to reference the “nice substitute” principle embraced by white nationalists, which says that nonwhite individuals will exchange white populations.
Following the submit, Apple, Disney, and IBM opted out of promoting on X.
Musk later apologized for the posts on the New York Occasions DealBook Summit in November however informed advertisers to “go fuck your self.”
The go to to Auschwitz over the weekend follows his go to to Israel in November.
Musk didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
