Protests Erupt on Reddit Against Elon Musk's Alleged Nazi Salute

After X owner Elon Musk made a hand gesture on January 20, 2025, that many interpreted as a Nazi salute, a significant protest movement has emerged on the social media platform Reddit.

According to NBC News, over 50 subreddit communities have banned links from X, formerly Twitter, in their new posts and comments. These communities include a mix of small and large groups, totaling at least 40 million members. Typically, only a small fraction of these members are active, particularly in larger subreddits, which number around 100,000.

The announcements from moderators specifically referenced the salute incident that occurred during a rally following President Donald Trump's inauguration. One subreddit announcement stated, "Last night, at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and known alt-right personality, showed the world who he truly is, and performed a full Sieg Heil Nazi salute not once, but twice." It made it clear that the subreddit does not tolerate Nazi ideology or hateful speech.

During his speech at the rally, Musk commented on the importance of the 2024 election and thanked the crowd, then reportedly made the controversial gesture. Musk has dismissed the allegations as "pure propaganda" and "dirty tricks," while the Anti-Defamation League noted that Musk's gesture was "awkward" and "not a Nazi salute."

Moderators of various subreddits cited unmoderated hate speech on X and Musk's endorsements of far-right views as reasons for the bans. Many communities noted that posting screenshots of X content is still permissible, as the ban targets links to the platform.

Several other subreddits are also deliberating whether to impose similar bans on X links. For instance, the Formula One subreddit initiated a trial ban, expressing concerns over the impact of their decision.

While some subreddits acknowledged that X links were rarely posted, they emphasized that the ban was symbolic. A moderator remarked that this action was largely "virtue signaling" but emphasized the need to take a stand against Nazi salutes at a major event like a presidential inauguration.

A Reddit spokesperson clarified that the company has not implemented an official ban on X links, and many continue to be shared across the platform. The affected subreddits represent a variety of interests, including state-focused and city-based communities, as well as those centered on music, sports, and entertainment.

One of the largest communities taking action is the NBA subreddit, which has 15 million members. Moderators decided to ban links to X and other social media platforms where posts require user login, responding to community sentiments against the promotion of hate speech. They also pointed out that screenshots from X would not be permitted to encourage users to transition to other platforms like Bluesky.