NAACP and ADL call for Twitter ad boycott after Musk reinstates Trump

Civil rights organizations are calling on advertisers to boycott Twitter in response to Elon Musk's weekend decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump's account on the social media site.

Banned from Twitter in 2021 because of concerns he could incite further violence following the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, Trump was reinstated on the platform on Saturday based on the results of a Twitter poll posted by Musk.

"The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," Twitter's new CEO tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people, the voice of God." 

Now, groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Anti-Defamation League say Twitter's billionaire owner is breaking his previous commitment to create a "content moderation council" before reinstating controversial accounts. 

After his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, the Tesla founder in late October declared he would form the council with "widely diverse viewpoints," saying that no one whose account has been banned would be allowed to return to the platform before that group has a chance to meet. 

However, Trump's account was restored without any input from such a council. The Twitter poll on restoring Trump's posting privileges, posted on Musk's own account, drew more than 15 million votes in the 24 hours in which it ran.  

"When ADL and other #StopHateforProfit leaders met with Elon Musk on November 1, he committed to not replatform anyone, regardless of stature, until he installed a transparent, clear process that took into consideration the views of civil society," ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted.

Musk has "gone back on every promise he made to civil rights leaders and advertisers," said Jessica Gonzalez, co-CEO of the digital rights group Free Press. "Any remaining advertiser that cares about brand safety should join the exodus of major companies that have already pulled their ads off Twitter."

"Not safe for users or advertisers"

"In Elon Musk's Twittersphere, you can incite an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which led to the deaths of multiple people, and still be allowed to spew hate speech and violent conspiracies on his platform," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Saturday in a statement. "Any advertiser still funding Twitter should immediately pause all advertising."

"Unless and until Musk can be trusted to enforce Twitter's prior community standards, the platform is not safe for users or advertisers," the #StopToxicTwitter coalition, which includes Accountable Tech, Free Press and Media Matters for America, said in a statement. "For those still advertising on Twitter right now: know that you are contributing directly to an erratic billionaire's decimation of Twitter and its rapid devolution into utter chaos."

Trump has not yet returned to Twitter, saying he'll stick to Truth Social, his own social media platform. 

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.