The liberal philanthropist gave $250,000 to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which pressured advertisers to cut ties with the platform
A grantmaking network created by billionaire investor George Soros funded a controversial UK-based NGO, which seeks to “kill” Elon Musk’s X media platform and censor conservative media, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.
According to the database of Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF), the charity last year gave the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) a $250,000 grant “to provide general support.” While the nonprofit stipulates that its goal is to hold social media companies “accountable” for spreading hate, in practice, it has pressured advertisers to censor firms and lobbied to deplatform and cancel news organizations it found offensive, the paper said.
According to the outlet, the CCDH, founded by former Labour Party operative Imran Ahmed, has in particular targeted conservative outlets like the Federalist and the Daily Wire over allegedly racist content. The nonprofit also reportedly tried to persuade American policymakers to create an “independent digital regulator.”
The CCDH has been criticizing numerous social media companies over what it saw as a failure to curtail extremism, but has been particularly hostile towards Musk’s X, the paper said. The CCDH’s internal documents openly listed “Kill Musk’s Twitter” as its top annual priority, according to whistleblower documents published by journalists last year.
Musk has bitterly feuded with both the CCDH and Soros, and last year unsuccessfully tried to sue the nonprofit for allegedly running a “scare campaign” to drive away advertisers. The X CEO has also accused Soros of many “crimes against humanity,” and of financing attacks on his company Tesla earlier this year.
President Donald Trump has also stated that his administration will be moving to sue the Hungarian-born billionaire, accusing him of using “professional agitators” to orchestrate riots in the US.
Critics have long accused Soros and his network of NGOs of fueling various protest movements across the world, interfering in elections, and attempting to shape local media landscapes and suppress dissenting views.
