Neil Young is boycotting using X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in the wake of Musk making online comments that many people are deeming anti-Semitic.
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“We are stopping all use of X that we can control,” Young announced in a message on his official website. “For reasons that should be obvious to the richest man on Earth, we are taking this action against his company.”
Young’s message continued, “For our many Palestinian friends and our many Jewish friends, we do need to start over in the present and release our terrible connections to the past. As bad as they are, they need to be forgotten so we can be free to move on in life together, all humanity, focused on saving our planet for future generations of all people.”
The post is accompanied by photos of the upper part of Musk’s face and a pair of hands with fingers intertwined, along with the caption, “Teslas should fly flags of love—not hate.” Musk is the co-founder and product architect of the electric automobile company Tesla.
Musk has been widely criticized for, according to CBS News, apparently endorsing a post on X last week that said Jewish communities have been promoting “the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.” The billionaire responded to the comment by liking the post and writing, “You have said the actual truth.”
CBS News reports that a wide variety of major companies, including Apple and Disney, have paused advertising on X following Musk’s comment.
Musk responded to the uproar in a post on X that reads, “This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all.”
Young, of course, is known for taking strong stands on various social and political issues. In 2022, he pulled his music off of Spotify after unsuccessfully demanding that the streaming service stop hosting The Joe Rogan Experience, because the popular podcast had interviewed a guest who many people in the medical field felt was spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, Young will release a new album titled Before and After on December 8. The 13-track collection features stripped-down acoustic renditions of songs from throughout his 50-plus-year career and includes a mix of deep cuts and better-known tunes.
You can pre-order Before and After now at Young’s official online store, and check out two previews of the upcoming album via his YouTube channel.
(Photo by Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)
