(Reuters) - A fabricated X post impersonating billionaire Elon Musk commenting on a bill that seeks to expand the definition of antisemitism is being shared online as authentic.
A fabricated X post impersonating billionaire Elon Musk commenting on a bill that seeks to expand the definition of antisemitism is being shared online as authentic. A purported screenshot of the post reads : “Upon the passage of Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, X will suspend any account that posts content in violation of the IRHA definition of antisemitism outlined in H.R.6090 in accordance with US law.” Responses to the fake screenshot include, “Next will be the boxcars to the gulag” and “End of free speech.”
The image was shared on social media hours after the House passed a bill on May 1 to broaden the definition of antisemitism.
The Antisemitism Awareness Act, if passed in the Senate, would mandate the Department of Education to use the broad definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an intergovernmental group, while enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
The X post is fabricated, however. It copies the handle of Elon Musk’s official X account, @elonmusk, but its content is not available on Musk’s account between the bill’s passing on May 1 and the time of this publication.
In the fake posts, the abbreviation for IHRA is also misspelled as “IRHA.” There also have been no credible news reports about Musk’s support for the legislation.
Musk did comment, “This bill might have the opposite effect of its objective” late on May 2 when he retweeted a video by commentator Matt Walsh discussing the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
An automatic reply from the press team at X to a request for comment says: “Busy now, please check back later.”
Reuters has previously addressed false claims referencing the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
VERDICT
No evidence. There is no evidence that an X post about the Antisemitism Awareness Act attributed to Elon Musk came from his official account.