- Some of Reddit’s largest subreddits have banned links to Twitter/X following a hand gesture by Elon Musk on Inauguration Day that many say closely resembled a Nazi salute.
Elon Musk’s controversial hand gesture is costing Twitter/X a good bit of traffic.
After the owner of the social network twice made a gesture that has been compared to a Nazi salute, a substantial number of subreddits have banned links to the site. More than 50 have instituted the rule change on Reddit, ranging from r/NBA (with 15 million members) to r/formula1 (5 million), along with several forums dedicated to U.S. Cities and states and hobbies including music, gaming, reality TV, and adult content. And several other subreddit moderators say they are considering joining the ban.
Screenshots of Tweets are still allowed in some subreddits, allowing reddit users to understand the context of a conversation without sending traffic to Twitter/X. Others have banned those as well, citing the concern that they’re more difficult to verify as authentic, among other reasons.
The bans follow Musk’s actions at a speech following Donald Trump’s inauguration. Musk said the election “really mattered” and thanked the crowd for “making it happen,” saying “my heart goes out to you” and then placing his right hand on his chest and extending his arm, palm down, at an 45-degree angle.
That has led to accusations that Musk intentionally mimicked a Nazi salute, something he denies as “pure propaganda.” The Anti-Defamation League has written it believes Musk “made an awkward gesture…not a Nazi salute,”
Reddit isn’t convinced, though.
“We have reached this decision after taking recent events and strong sentiment from our community into account,” the moderators of r/NBA wrote. “While we try our best to stay neutral and apolitical, we do not believe taking a stance against Nazi symbolism is or should be a political issue. Hate speech and the promotion of it has never been tolerated in our community.”
Beyond the controversy surrounding Musk, some moderators noted that Twitter/X has made it increasingly difficult for people to view posts if they’re not logged into the site. Many are encouraging users to post content from BlueSky instead.