‘Dangerous Precedent’: UN Slams Musk’s Suspensions at a Time ‘When Journalists All Over The World Are Facing Censorship’
EANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
A spokesperson for the United Nations told reporters on Friday that Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s suspension of journalists from Twitter sets a “dangerous precedent.”
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the UN was “very disturbed” by Musk’s surprise suspensions. “The move sets a dangerous precedent at a time when journalists all over the world are facing censorship, physical threats and even worse,” Dujarric said.
Musk suspended prominent journalists like CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, and independent journalist Aaron Rupar, among others over claims they violated his new “doxxing policy.” CNN reported on Friday that “none of the banned journalists appeared to have shared Musk’s precise real-time location” – the violation the billionaire had accused them of.
The UN was not the only international condemnation of Musk’s move. The Guardian reported on Friday that “Germany’s government said press freedom must not be switched “on and off on a whim” and Downing Street also raised concerns over the suspensions.”
Meanwhile, a European Union official also called the move “worrying” and raised the prospect of sanctions.
“There are red lines. And sanctions, soon,” tweeted EU commissioner Věra Jourová in a tweet that tagged Musk directly.
