Elon Musk

Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock (Licensed)

Elon Musk fans get an antisemitic trope to trend after Twitter user criticizes him

Not everyone with the last name Rothschild belongs to the banking family.

 

Mikael Thalen

Tech

Posted on May 19, 2022   Updated on May 23, 2022, 12:41 pm CDT

A Twitter user is being falsely accused of belonging to the Rothschild banking family after criticizing billionaire Elon Musk.

Featured Video Hide

The incident unfolded on Wednesday after Musk stated that although he had always voted for Democrats in the past, he would now vote for Republicans due to the other party’s “division and hate.”

Advertisement Hide

The tweet, which was shared more than 135,000 times, led to an influx of both support and condemnation for the Tesla CEO.

One such critic was Twitter user David Rothschild, who accused Musk of attempting to play the victim.

“Rich white son of emerald mine owner who grew up in apartheid South Africa is the real victim in our society,” he wrote.

Advertisement Hide

Supporters of Musk quickly jumped to his defense by arguing that it was absurd for a member of the Rothschild family to be accusing anyone else of privilege.

Although there are legitimate criticisms of the family’s history, such as its previous ties to the slave trade, the Rothschilds have also been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories for centuries.

Advertisement Hide

“Imagine dissing on someone for their family history when your family has owned a banking dynasty that has been influencing the world for the past 300 years lol,” one user wrote.

Prominent conspiracy theorist Luke Rudkowski also weighed in, likewise suggesting the Rothschild had nefarious ties.

Advertisement Hide

“A literally freaking ROTHSCHILD everyone……” he said in a since-deleted post.

The issue became so widespread that the name #Rothschild became a top trend across Twitter on Thursday.

Yet Rothschild merely has the same last name as the banking family and is not actually related. Twitter users appeared to be confusing Rothschild with an actual member of the family named David Mayer de Rothschild.

Advertisement Hide

Those who were aware of the incorrect claim shot back at Musk’s supporters for the false assumption.

“‘Rothschild’ is trending because a bunch of people who think this guy is a member of the banking family are pointing out the ‘irony,’ which is roughly equivalent to thinking anyone with the last name ‘Ellison’ is related to Larry,” one user said.

Advertisement Hide

Rothschild has since responded to the backlash by further criticizing Musk, who is currently attempting to purchase Twitter, noting that his responses have been filled with antisemitic remarks.

“I insulted @elonmusk yesterday on @Twitter, so for the next 24-48 hours there will be 100’s of replies drowning out whatever I say w/ something witty like ‘shut-up Jew,'” he wrote. “Fulfilling Elon’s vision of ‘free speech’ utopia where anyone who speaks truth to power is drowned out w/ hate.”

https://twitter.com/DavMicRot/status/1527243620260134912?s=20&t=Mbs-OQOAyoF9WPwDFQ_hlg
Advertisement Hide

Despite the false claims, Rothschild is actually an economist at Microsoft Research in New York City.


Read more of the Daily Dot’s tech and politics coverage

Nevada’s GOP secretary of state candidate follows QAnon, neo-Nazi accounts on Gab, Telegram
Court filing in Bored Apes lawsuit revives claims founders built NFT empire on Nazi ideology
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Say hi to the Donald for us’: Florida police briefed armed right-wing group before they went to Jan. 6 protest
Inside the Proud Boys’ ties to ghost gun sales
‘Judas’: Gab users are furious its founder handed over data to the FBI without a subpoena
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-vax dating site that let people advertise ‘mRNA FREE’ semen left all its user data exposed
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
Share this article
*First Published: May 19, 2022, 12:51 pm CDT
 

Featured Local Savings

Exit mobile version