Elon Musk has said it would “probably be wise” to “confine” his travels to territories where freedom of speech is “constitutionally protected.” The X owner's comments come after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France in connection with a “lack of moderation” on the messaging app.
“It would probably be wise to restrict travel to countries where freedom of speech is constitutionally protected,” Musk said in response to an X user who suggested he should “consider what the impacts” of his travel would be following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
Perhaps it would be wise to restrict travel to countries where freedom of speech is constitutionally protected.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2024
“I hate to give in to bullies, but given the situation in France, Brazil, the UK and other countries, @elonmusk, please consider the impact your trip will have,” one X user wrote to Musk.
“Your safety is paramount to 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 landing on a private jet at France's Le Bourget airport. The Telegram CEO is accused of “various violations of the encrypted messaging service,” which French authorities say are due to a “lack of moderation” on his platform.
Musk responded to Durov's arrest, calling it a “very compelling” display of First Amendment propaganda.
Check out this ad about the First Amendment. It's very persuasive.
https://t.co/mb4UCSZcgR— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024
The SpaceX CEO also wrote that “these are dangerous times” in response to another X user who noted that “free speech is under attack in many ways around the world.”
Dangerous times https://t.co/FuB6NEWOqr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
In response to the many X users who criticized France for Durov's arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country is “deeply committed to freedom of expression” and that the Telegram CEO's arrest was “in no way a political decision.”
“It would be beneficial for the world to know more details about why Macron was arrested,” Musk wrote in response to Macron's X post.
It would be beneficial for the world to understand the details as to why he was arrested.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2024
Like Durov, Musk has come under fire for advocating free speech on his social media platforms.
A few weeks ago, the EU required Musk to comply with Brussels' speech restrictions when he gave an uncensored interview with former President Donald Trump on The X Show.
The European Commission's censorship chief Thierry Breton wrote to Musk claiming that the Trump interview could lead to “the spread of content that may incite violence, hatred or racism”, and threatened to use all powers available to Musk under the Digital Services Act (DSA) against him if he is found to be breaching EU speech regulations during the interview.
Alana Mastangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her at Facebook And X is Followetc. Instagram.
