Musk seems to want to drive everyone but certain types away.
Not all of Stonetoss’ comics were hateful. Sometimes, one would spread when it wouldn’t be directly racist, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic. On Reddit, the top comment would usually be something like, “Stonetoss is a Nazi.” People took to removing his name from comics before creating parodies of them. No one wanted to be responsible for possibly helping a Nazi find community and acceptance in Stonetoss’s comics. Now those critics are being quite vocal with his name. His real name, that is.
An anti-fascist research group, Anonymous Comrades Collective, says they found the true identity of Stonetoss. They claim it’s a man from Texas, Hans Kristian Graebener. They discovered Mr. Graebener’s alleged identity through some clever sleuthing. They connected life events he shared as Stonetoss, Red Panels, another racist comic account, and his own personal accounts. They also matched up his voice with one from a far-right podcast. With a vacation photo timed around the same time as another trip, they believed they had all the proof they needed, and released the name the believe belongs to “Stonetoss.”
It’s fascinating and terrifying what people can find online. Most of it is far easier than this. However, far-right figures often take efforts to hide their identities. No one wants to employ or otherwise associate with an infamous fascist propaganda creator.
Perhaps that’s why Elon Musk’s Twitter has worked so hard to protect the accused neo-Nazi. Musk has regularly interacted with accounts that dox trans users and supporters, interacting with accounts accused of terrorism, yet he works to ban anyone who mentions this neo-Nazi’s name.
Curious.
Musk Sympathizing With an Accused Nazi
CW: This post includes a screenshot of Musk interacting (and approving of) hate speech and doxxing… just not for fascists.
Stonetoss ironically appealed to Elon Musk, stating, “If Elon’s idea of a ‘free speech’ website is one where people can be intimidated into silence, the outcome will be a site where the Stasi will drive out all dissent.”
This is exactly what women, LGBTQ+ people, non-white, and other targeted minority groups have been saying about free speech online for years now. They are being silenced by far-right figures who dox, threaten, and harass them into silence. Elon Musk allows harassment of transgender people on the platform, he has even interacted with Libs of TikTok, real name Chaya Raichik, who have doxed trans people and their supporters, likely leading to bomb threats, school closings, and hospital evacuations. The FBI has had to get involved to find the sources of these threats, who are often inspired by Libs of TikTok. But when it was those LGBTQ people, people harassed not for encouraging violence, just for being themselves, Musk didn’t care. When Stonetoss came to him begging for support to continue to rile hatred that likely leads to violence and threats, Musk stepped in to help the spreaders of that hate. Hate leads to very real threats, and those drive people out of their homes and their jobs simply for showing compassion or being themselves. But Musk only sides with the attackers.
“According to X’s terms of service, posting someone’s name does not constitute doxing, but, many accounts, including my own, have been made to delete posts that merely mention the name of the racist and antisemitic cartoonist Stonetoss”
– Steven Monacelli, journalist at the Texas Observer
Elon Musk was quick to support accused Nazi Stonetoss, supposedly Hans Kristian Graebener. While Libs of TikTok riles up attacks on LGBTQ+ people daily, and Stonetoss’ comics inspire violent hatred of LGBTQ+ people and non-whites, Musk didn’t want to ban them. Instead, he went after The Anonymous Comrades Collective, deleting their thread and banning them for doing the same thing Libs of TikTok does every day. In fact, Musk has interacted with threads Libs of TikTok has started where they specifically doxxed an LGBTQ+ person. Musk seems to be pro-doxxing, as long as it’s hate. He has also banned journalists and other commentators who have discussed the Stonetoss story. Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandrar Caraballo had discussed his name, and also had been hit with a suspension. Her account was only restored after a Wired story reported on Musk’s banning of people discussing the situation.
“This is completely arbitrary, and under Twitter’s own community standards it says that a name is never considered private information. There’s an immense double standard here of the neo-Nazi comic guy being protected. The people that do this to anyone on the left are not only followed by [Musk] but are boosted by him. It’s completely inconsistent.”
– Alejandra Caraballo, clinical instructor at Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic
Not only has Elon Musk interacted with accused stochastic terrorist Libs of TikTok, who has made an entire following out of doxxing LGBTQ people and their supporters, likely leading to actual threats of violence, he has also agreed with a post proclaiming “Hitler was right.” His actions have been, alarmingly, pro-Nazi and pro-facsism. However, when a far right figure like Stonetoss or Libs of TikTok ask him for help, he swoops in with whatever data they requested or bans for those questioning them.
When trans people are driven out of their homes, Musk sides with the attackers. When Nazis are pressured into stopping the spread of their violent imagery, he sides with the Nazis.
If you’re still using Twitter, I think you have to ask yourself, do you really want to continue to support someone like that? Someone who agrees with posts claiming “Hitler was right?” Someone who defends stochastic terrorists and Nazi cartoonists? Someone who enables attacks on people for who they are, defending people who do horrible things, like inspire those attacks? Is that really what you want to support? Because by continuing to use Twitter, that is what you’re supporting. You’re supporting the silencing of journalists and minorities to help promote the voices of the far-right.
I doubt that’s what you started using Twitter for.
Sources:
- David Gilbert, Wired via Ars Technica
- David Ingram, NBC News
- Tess Owen, Vice News