Elon Musk’s many, many tweets—regular amplifiers of extremist conspiracy theories and pseudoscience—have done much harm, but thanks to a new campaign, they’ll finally do some good. A group of nonprofits are securing donation pledges for every single time the world’s most chaotic and serial tweeter tweets.
The People vs Elon campaign was launched on January 26 to “turn every single tweet Elon Musk sends into a weapon against the far-right.” The campaign, which is organized by People vs Profiteers, was inspired by Musk’s more recent far right activities, particularly the alleged Nazi salute during Donald Trump’s inauguration and the speech he gave days later to Germany’s extremist AfD Party.
Related
Martina Navratilova can’t erase trans women of color from queer history.
Musk told the assembled party that the real problem in Germany has been “frankly too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that,” apparently referencing the Holocaust. And, of course, he later tweeted, “Only the AfD can save Germany.”
Your internet debrief
Stay ahead of the most scandalous, hilarious, and mind-boggling internet content delivered directly to your inbox.
Now tweets like that can fund groups that protect the marginalized and fight the far right. The UK-based campaign asks participants to pledge as little as 1p for each tweet. Given that the right wing billionaire tweets, on average, 2,000 times a month, that works out to £20 monthly (approximately $25). Pledgers can also set monthly limits, in case Musk gets particularly unhinged on a given month.
A similar campaign, #DefeatByTweet, raised over $20 million through Donald Trump’s tweets during his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.
“We’ll turn his hate into support for anti-racists, immigrants and trans people,” the People vs Elon promise.
Specifically, the donations will go to 5 charities: “Everyday Racism (who teach anti-racism in schools), Women 4 Refugee Women (who campaign for a fairer asylum system), People vs Profiteers (taking on big businesses behaving badly), Rainbow Migration (who support LGBTQI+ migrants), Hope not Hate (challenge far-right extremism).”
“We can’t let the richest man in the world poison our politics,” Leila Zadeh, Executive Director of Rainbow Migration, said in a statement. “He is seeking to demonise trans people and refugees as he continues to amass record wealth. Most people know their problems are caused by wealth hoarders and hatemongers, not trans people seeking safety.”
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
