Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, has reinstated Alex Jones, a 49-year-old American content creator known for his controversial claims.
Controversial in the sense that he promoted conservative and right-wing views during a time when Twitter/X was a stronghold for left-leaning narratives.
Jones, the owner of the Infowars channel, had been banned from the platform in 2018 for breaching guidelines against abusive behavior.
Musk conducted a user poll to decide on Jones’s reinstatement, which garnered nearly 2 million votes.
About 70% voted in favor of allowing Jones back on the platform. Following this, Musk remarked, “The people have spoken, and it shall be so.”
Jones’s profile had amassed 1.3 million followers on X by Sunday evening.
Shortly after his return, Jones posted a video announcing a two-hour interview with Musk, promising its release soon.
Jones also reshared a tweet from influencer Andrew Tate, who had previously been banned but got his account restored in 2022.
Tate is currently under investigation in Romania on allegations including rape and human trafficking, charges he denies.
Jones, who founded Infowars, gained notoriety for his controversial claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which he later admitted were false.
Ordered by the U.S. court to pay
In 2021, he was ordered by the U.S. court to pay around $1.5 billion to the families of the victims for the harm caused by his claims.
Musk, who had previously expressed opposition to Jones’s return, cited his own personal loss to underscore his stance against those who exploit children’s deaths.
However, Musk also emphasized that X supports free speech despite his strong disagreement with Jones’s past statements.
In November, Sandy Hook victims’ families proposed reducing Jones’s debt to at least $85 million over ten years, yet the case is still unresolved.
Jones declared bankruptcy for his companies in 2022 amidst speculations that he might be shielding assets to evade paying damages.