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Elon Musk threatens to launch mammoth $22B defamation lawsuit against Jewish civil liberties group ADL

Elon Musk indicates that a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League could be the only way 'to clear our platform's name'

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Elon Musk has threatened to launch a $22 billion lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for allegedly trying to destroy X (formerly Twitter) by accusing it of being antisemitic.

Founded in 1913, the ADL is a Jewish civil liberties organization that is currently headed by its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt.

The 52-year-old tech mogul took to his handle on Monday, September 4 to declare that X may have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against ADL "to clear our platform's name on the matter of anti-Semitism."

“It looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony!” Musk wrote in a series of tweets.

'In our case, they would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion,’ he added.

Why does Elon Musk want to sue ADL?

Musk is blaming ADL for X's rapidly declining revenues. In May, it was reported that the micro-blogging platform has lost one-third of its value since Musk bought it in October, going from $45 billion to $15 billion in just six months, according to Daily Mail.

"Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic," Musk wrote in an initial tweet.

"Our US advertising revenue is still down 60 percent, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that's what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter," his tweet continued.

He stated in another tweet that he believes the ADL is to blame for as much as 50% of Twitter's declining worth - "roughly $22 billion."

Earlier in the day, Musk reacted to a tweet from X News Daily in which the publication shared that X’s US advertising revenue had decreased by almost 60%.

According to the account, the concerning decline in the platform’s advertisement revenue is a "significant factor behind X's continuing issues with achieving profitability."

Why is Elon Musk blaming ADL for X’s declining ad revenue?

Musk reportedly believes that the ADL has pushed advertisers to avoid using X due to his relaxation of the laws against harassment and hate speech.

The organization previously documented a rise in hate speech on X since Musk’s take over, calling out what it sees as failures by the platform to enforce its content moderation policies, according to Business Insider.

Meanwhile, some Jewish users have also reported witnessing an uptick in antisemitic tweets that go unpunished by Musk and X's platform moderation systems.

Ordinarily, social media platforms have robust systems in place to flag and ban content that are deemed to be hate speech against minority communities.

On September 4, the Chief Twit fiercely denied the accusations, stating that he never let hate speech run free on his platform. "To be super clear, I'm pro-free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind," he wrote in a tweet.

Is Elon Musk going to ban the ADL?

Following Musk’s barrage of tweets, the hashtag #BanTheADL began trending on X, with some users calling for the organization to be removed from the platform.

The Tesla owner himself liked some of the tweets but clarified online that he has no intention to ban the ADL anytime soon.

"Despite the immense harm ADL has done to X/Twitter, they still will not be banned in this platform, unless they break the law," he shared.

It's unclear whether or not Musk and his lawyers have filed an initial complaint against the organization.

How did the ADL respond to Elon Musk’s accusations?

In response to Musk’s fierce accusation, a spokesperson for the ADL released a statement, asserting that they were “unsurprised yet undeterred that antisemites, white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and other trolls have launched a coordinated attack on our organization.”

“This type of thing is nothing new. This onslaught comes following our participation in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where ADL proudly marched shoulder-to-shoulder with African-American leaders and those from other minority communities,” the statement continued according to the Daily Beast.

The statement added that Musk’s threats follow a meeting between the ADL and “the leadership of X,” a meeting that the ADL believes “clearly upset these hateful groups.”

“Such insidious efforts don’t daunt us. Instead, they drive us to be unflinching in our commitment to fight hate in all its forms and ensure the safety of Jewish communities and other marginalized groups,” the statement concluded.