X is the bastion of free speech on the Internet. At least that’s what Elon Musk and his raucous supporters would like you to believe any time one dares to point out his hypocritical, arbitrary, and often self-serving content moderation actions after taking over the social media platform.
This week’s decision from Meta’s Oversight Board on moderation of the pro-Palestinian phrase “from the river to the sea” further undermines Musk’s self-styled image as a “free speech absolutist.” The Oversight Board — an independent panel of experts that oversees content moderation decisions for Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram — determined that the phrase should not be flagged as hate speech or removed unless “accompanied by statements or signals calling for exclusion or violence, or legitimizing hate.”
Contrast that with Musk, who, on 17 November of last year, posted, “‘decolonization,’ ‘from the river to the sea’ and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide. Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension.” X has also blocked or limited the visibility of posts that use the phrase “Israeli terrorists” and suspended hundreds of pro-Palestinian accounts.
The phrase “from the river to the sea”’ has been used by groups like Hamas to promote antisemitic hatred and violence. However, it has also been employed by peace activists and anti-Zionist Jewish groups critical of Israeli policies. Even if one interprets the phrase as antisemitic, it remains protected under the First Amendment — whose ideals Musk himself claims to champion. As the Oversight Board noted, international human rights law also protects such political speech, despite offering more limited protections than US law.
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Jacob Mchangama is the Founder and Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech. He is also a research professor at Vanderbilt University and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).