Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) thanked Twitter CEO Elon Musk for “standing up against” antisemitism with his decision to suspend the account of Kanye West from the social media platform, The Hill reports.
“You were right to take this decisive action to prevent acts of violence and hate crimes against the Jewish community that could have been motivated by these disgusting comments and posts on your platform,” Scott said in a letter to Musk which was sent on Friday.
Scott commended Musk’s approach, saying it shows he is “committed to standing up for free speech and making an appropriate distinction between hate speech and speech that doesn’t align with the woke values of Big Tech.”
Musk announced late on Thursday he was suspending West’s Twitter account morning after he posted an image of the Star of David containing a swastika.
The picture followed the rapper’s interview with Alex Jones of Infowars, in which he said he “loves everyone,” including Jews, as well as Nazis, spoke favorably of Hitler and denied the Holocaust.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, condemned West’s interview.
“I am sickened by the conversation that Alex Jones had with avowed antisemites Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, it is alarming that such vile rhetoric is given a platform and legitimized,” said Herzog.
“They engaged in hateful incitement, which could lead to violence and the death of Jews in horrifying incidents. Free speech does not extend to incitement of violence and demonization of the Jewish community, which faces the highest levels of religious-based violence in the United States,” he added.
“We must all stand against the continuing threat of antisemitism. No society can have room for such hateful ideas, no matter who expresses them,” concluded Ambassador Herzog.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called for West to no longer be given a platform to make his antisemitic comments.
“All of the lights must be turned off on this despicable antisemite. Kanye West’s deplorable comments today endanger Jews around the world,” he wrote.
“It is past time for the curtain to drop on this racist. No stage for Ye. No microphone for Ye. No applause for Ye,” added Erdan.
On Friday, both US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris denounced antisemitism in posts on Twitter, though neither mentioned West by name.
“I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity,” Biden tweeted.
“Praising Hitler and denying the Holocaust is vile, appalling, and must be condemned. Our Administration will continue to stand up against antisemitism and the epidemic of hate,” wrote Harris.