Rishi Sunak Condemns Antisemitism, Stays Mum On Elon Musk’s Remarks

Following the controversy erupted by Tesla CEO’s comments on X, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who earlier this month had an hour-long conversation with the tech billionaire, has publicly denounced antisemitism, even as he refused to directly call out Elon Musk. 

Sunak, in an interview, said that he condemns “antisemitism in all its forms,” reported Bloomberg, after being asked if he was specifically condemning Musk.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re Elon Musk or you’re someone on the street who’s shouting abuse at someone who happens to be walking past you, that’s wrong in all its forms. Antisemitism in all its forms is completely and utterly wrong,” said Sunak.

The tech billionaire reportedly endorsed a post falsely accusing Jewish people of inciting hatred against White people, which had led to allegations of him promoting anti-Jewish sentiments.

Following his comments, several companies, including Walt Disney Co., Apple Inc., and Warner Bros., pulled their advertising from Musk’s social media platform. 

Moreover, the tech mogul’s comments were branded as an “abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate” by the office of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Previously, questions were raised about Sunak’s judgment due to his association with Musk at the U.K.’s AI Safety Summit in early November.

Musk’s controversial endorsement of an anti-Semitic post has led to a significant backlash, including calls for his resignation as Tesla CEO. 

Facebook co-founder and Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz also called out Musk and said he should resign after terming an anti-Semitic post on X the “actual truth.” 

Moreover, Musk’s X social media platform could face a potential decline in advertising revenue, with estimates suggesting a downturn of up to $75 million by the year’s end. This follows the decision of major companies to temporarily halt their advertising campaigns on X due to Musk’s comments.

Produced in association with Benzinga