Free speech fears after Aussie group SUSPENDED by Elon Musk's X

Australian anti-nuclear campaigners have been suspended from billionaire Elon Musk’s privately-owned social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The decision has sparked fears about US-based companies limiting free speech by environmental campaigners.

The decision to permanently place the Australian Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) account in “read-only” mode was revealed to the group on Sunday via a cryptic online notification. A spokesperson for the environment non-profit group, Jane Gardner, told Yahoo News the decision to shut down its voice was “extremely worrying for democracy in Australia”.

The exact reason for the suspension remains a mystery, but it came after a number of pro-nuclear X users challenged what it claims was factual reporting of nuclear-related issues. Similar posts remain live on its Instagram account.

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The suspension message read, “After careful review, we determined your account broke the X rules. Your account has been placed permanently in read-only mode, which means you can’t post, repost, or like content.”

Internet reacts to Australian Conservation Foundation's X suspension

Since taking over Twitter in 2022 Musk has advocated for free speech, and allowed dozens of right-wing commentators to return to the site. And he has expressed his support for the Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US election.

He has also been a vocal supporter of nuclear energy, saying in a 2022 post the shutting down of power plants was “insane”. "Countries should be increasing nuclear power generation," he added.

ACF was founded in 1965, and it advocates across a range of environmental issues including nuclear, deforestation, and threatened species. High-profile academics and conservationists have rallied against its suspension on X.

“ACF is hardly a radical group; it’s a mainstream conservation organisation,” international law expert Professor Stephens wrote.

“What has [ACF] posted that is more offensive than the ongoing Nazi content on this platform?” environmentalist Jon Dee added.

But the 18-year-old founder of Nuclear for Australia, Will Shackel, publicly celebrated the decision to shut down ACF's ability to share content. "Perhaps the disinformation caught up with them," he said.

Concern Aussie free speech being shut down by social media platforms

It’s not the first time ACF has had its account switched off. On July 22, the group was suspended for “Violating our rules against evading suspension”. While the group managed to have its account reactivated on that occasion, it was not given a clear explanation as to what provoked the suspension.

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Other environmental groups including the Climate Council have also been silenced by international social media platforms. It had a post about nuclear energy removed from TikTok. And Facebook removed a post by RenewEconomy about nuclear energy despite it being based on research by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO.

“It’s incredibly worrying. And if it wasn’t an isolated incident I wouldn’t be so concerned,” Gardner said.

“I think there’s a pattern here. Organisations that are evidence-based, with fact-checked content that’s rooted in science, are being targeted and silenced.

“I'm really concerned about where this is heading, and I think everybody else should be as well. Anyone who cares about democracy should give a s**t about this.”

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