Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who had been permanently banned from the social media platform under the previous owner for his abusive actions and making ‘unfounded claims’ about the series of volatile events.
Mr Jones’ X account restoration came after Mr Musk conducted a poll on the platform asking if the Infowars host should be reinstated — with close to two million respondents, 70 per cent for reinstatement.
Afterwards, Mr Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken, and so it shall be”, and Mr Jones’ account was visible again after a few hours.
One of Mr Jones’ conspiracy theories was about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children. Mr Jones repeatedly called the tragic massacre a ‘hoax’.
The relatives of the victims sued Mr Jones in court both in Connecticut and Texas and won close to $1.5 billion as a settlement awarded against the Infowars host. In October, a judge blocked Mr Jones from using bankruptcy protection to avoid paying his debts.
Mr Musk’s decision to allow Jones back on the platform was a complete reversal of his previous stance when he said he would not restore Mr Jones’ account despite persistent calls, stating that “I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.”
