Right-wing influencers and fans of Elon Musk successfully pushed the billionaire to reinstate a prominent X account that had been automatically suspended for sharing child exploitation content.
Visegrád 24 is a Polish-based account that serves as a news aggregator, though it has stirred controversy in the past by sharing and amplifying misinformation, including the incorrect claim that Leonardo DiCaprio donated $10 million to Ukraine and that a stabbing in Australia was motivated by Islamist extremism.
The account was suspended on Sunday, prompting a number of right-wing influencers to question Musk.
“I don’t see eye to eye with Visegrad 24 on a number of topics, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to be suspended. What’s going on?” asked right-wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong.
Influencer Mario Nawfal also weighed in, asking: “Why was Visegrád 24 suspended? Loved and hated by many, Visegrad is a leading Polish-based account covering the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.”
Nawfal’s post drew an explanation from the platform’s owner himself.
“He posted a picture of that poor kid in Afghanistan being sodomized with a stick, which triggered an automatic child exploitation suspension,” Musk replied. “Account will be restored soon.”
Hours before, Musk similarly told right-wing commentator Robby Starbuck—who remarked the account “absolutely needs to be reinstated”—that he was looking into it.
The reinstatement of Visegrád 24 marks the second time Musk has personally looked into an account’s suspension after public outcry from right-wing influencers.
Last July, a popular right-wing influencer named Dom Lucre saw his account on X reinstated hours after sharing child exploitation material.
In that case, the images shared were reportedly related to an Australian man sentenced to life in prison on child trafficking and sexual abuse charges that involved children as young as 18 months.
Much like with Visegrád 24, Dom Lucre’s reinstatement followed after fans and fellow influencers directly petitioned Musk to intervene.
“For now, we will delete those posts and reinstate the account,” Musk said at the time.
Musk’s reinstatement decisions have come under fire from critics.
“‘He posted child r4pe, let me personally reinstate it,’” quipped one pro-Russia account.
“Only on Twitter can you post a video of a child being sodomized with a stick, get banned, and then get unbanned,” wrote another user.
“Elon Musk’s commitment to making sure posting [child sexual abuse material] remains unpunished is what makes Twitter the profit powerhouse it is today,” concluded someone else.
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