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‘There are red lines’: EU threatens Twitter with sanctions after Musk suspends handful of journalists for doxxing

December 16, 2022 | | Print Article

If we have learned anything impressive about progressives, it’s their fascinating ability to shamelessly pivot 180 degrees and fight for the very things they previously insisted they were vehemently against the moment it serves their purpose.

Case in point: Elon Musk’s decision to suspend the Twitter accounts of several journalists who defiantly doxxed his location, putting the billionaire and his family in harm’s way.

After years of canceling conservatives and screaming about the immediate risk they are in from the right’s “hate speech,” liberals are suddenly staunchly anti-censorship and pro-doxxing because a few members of the media were taught the definition of “FAFO” by a man whose son was just cornered in a car by a “crazy stalker.”

Proving that the push to control the narrative isn’t just an American thing, Europe is now weighing in on Musk’s decision to suspend the accounts of Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, technology reporter Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Micah Lee of The Intercept, social media influencer Aaron Rupar, and unhinged leftist crackpot Keith Olbermann for allegedly violating Twitter’s new and clearly-stated rule prohibiting the real-time sharing of location information.

Germany’s foreign ministry tweeted on Friday that they “have a problem” with Musk’s decision.

“Freedom of the press cannot be switched on and off as you please,” it stated. “As of today these journalists are no longer able to follow us, to comment or criticize. We have a problem with that @Twitter.”

“News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying,” fretted Věra Jourová, the European Commission’s vice president for values and transparency.

“EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights,” she continued. “This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct.”

“[Elon Musk] should be aware of that,” she cautioned. “There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.”

This, from the woman who, in April 2021, was all for revamping the EU’s “Code of Practice” as it relates to COVID-19, so no journalist could report on findings that might contradict the global narrative.

She urged Facebook to “do more to ensure their policies are vigorously enforced across the globe.”

But Musk’s simple, common-sense policy — don’t post the current location of another human being because they could get ambushed — is worthy of sanctions.

“The EU’s Jourova’s self-righteous tirade was almost comical given the EU long-standing attacks on free speech and silence of prior media suspensions,” tweeted Jonathan Turley. “Where was the EU when Twitter was suspending media like the New York Post?”

“How about the slew of conservative writers and experts barred for questioning official accounts on issues ranging from Covid to climate change?” he continued. “The past suspension of writers like Greg Piper, Alex Berenson, and others was not nearly as concerning for the EU.”

To his detractors, Musk defended his decision.

“Criticizing me all day long is totally fine,” he tweeted, “but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not.”

Much has been made of Musk’s suspension of 20-year-old Jack Sweeney and his @elonjet account, which tracked in real-time the flights of Musk’s private plane.

Many have argued that Sweeney was only publishing information that was publicly available.

Not so, said Musk, who tweeted, “My plane is actually not trackable without using non-public data.”

In a separate post, he stated, “They posted my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service.”


Those celebrating the expulsion of lefty loon Keith Olbermann and the others from Twitter should probably put the cork back in their champagne bottle.

Musk has no intention of making the suspensions permanent.

He has, however, left the terms of the punishment up to Twitter users.

In another of his now-famous polls in which the majority always seems to rule, Musk asked his followers whether the journalists should have their accounts restored now or a week from now.

With nearly 3 million votes recorded, the current consensus is that now would be better than later.

Melissa Fine
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