(UnitedVoice.com) – Alex Jones is inarguably one of the most controversial figures in American media and politics. The podcast host is known for sharing conspiracy theories, including his crusade against the families impacted by the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. After a five-year ban from X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk recently reinstated the controversial owner of InfoWars.
The Ban
In 2018, Twitter/X announced it permanently banned InfoWars and Jones. The social media platform cited tweets and videos posted on the accounts that violated the company’s prohibition on abusive behavior. The ban came a month after Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple banned Jones’ content.
The then-Twitter ban came after Jones had a physical confrontation with Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) in the Capitol. The podcast host interrupted Rubio while he was speaking to reporters. Jones touched the senator and was told by a security officer to not touch the lawmaker. The InfoWars host mocked the senator and asked if he was going to be arrested. Rubio told Jones that he would take care of him himself.
Jones shared a video of the confrontation on Twitter, and it was removed. A short time later, he was banned.
Musk Lifts Ban
On December 10, Musk reinstated Jones’ accounts. His decision came just four days before the 11th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting that claimed the lives of 20 first graders and six educators. The shooter also killed his mother before heading to the elementary school.
For years, Jones claimed the shooting didn’t happen and accused the victims of being actors. He was sued by the families and they won approximately $1.5 billion in damages in court. Last year, Musk said he would not reinstate Jones. He said his firstborn child died in his arms, and he didn’t have any “mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.”
That went out the window. Days before actually doing it, he indicated that he would reinstate Jones, saying the platform is a “global town square [and] permanent bans should be extremely rare.” He launched a poll and allowed people on the platform to vote on whether Jones should be allowed back. More than half of respondents allegedly said he should, so Musk reinstated him.
The X owner later held a live chat with himself, Vivek Ramaswamy, accused rapist Andrew Tate, Jones, and others. During the live chat, Jones said he now believes the Sandy Hook shooting did happen.
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