Elon Musk says it’s “probably wise” for him “to limit” his travels to areas where free speech is “constitutionally protected.” The X owner’s comments come after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France in connection to a “lack of moderation” on his messaging app.
“Probably wise to for me to limit movements to countries where free speech is constitutionally protected,” Musk said in a response to an X user who suggested that he “consider the implications” of his travels in the wake of the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
Probably wise to for me to limit movements to countries where free speech is constitutionally protected
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2024
“While I hate caving to bullies, given the developments in France, Brazil, the UK and elsewhere, please consider the implications of your travels, @elonmusk,” the X user wrote to Musk.
“Your safety is paramount for the future of innovation and free speech and we need your continued vision and leadership,” the X user added.
Notably, Durov was arrested last week after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport in France. The Telegram CEO is being accuse of “various violations of his encrypted messaging service,” which French authorities say stem from a “lack of moderation” of his platform.
Musk reacted to Durov’s arrest, calling it an “ad for the First Amendment” that is “very convincing.”
Check out this ad for the First Amendment. It is very convincing.
https://t.co/mb4UCSZcgR— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024
The SpaceX CEO also wrote “Dangerous times” in response to another X user that pointed out the different ways in which “Free speech is under attack all across the globe.”
Dangerous times https://t.co/FuB6NEWOqr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the abundance of X users calling out France over Durov’s arrest, insisting his country “is deeply committed to freedom of expression” and that arresting the Telegram CEO was “in no way a political decision.”
“It would be helpful to the global public to understand more details about why he was arrested,” Musk wrote in response to Macron’s X post.
It would be helpful to the global public to understand more details about why he was arrested
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2024
Like Durov, Musk has also been under attack for hosting free speech on his social media platform.
A few weeks ago, the EU demanded that Musk abide by Brussels’ speech restrictions during his uncensored interview with former President Donald Trump on X.
Thierry Breton, the European Commission’s chief censorship czar, sent Musk a letter claiming that his interview with Trump could result in the “dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism,” and threatened to deploy all powers available to him under the Digital Services Act (DSA) against X if any breaches of EU speech restrictions transpire during the interview.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
