Thread by @RayhanAsat

America's obsession with celebrities must be examined.
@elonmusk's flirtation or, more seriously, threatening a hostile takeover of @twitter concerns me deeply. While Musk touts values of free speech, his close tie to the Chinese gov paints a different and dangerous picture.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517215066550116354

Free speech is the most fundamental tenant of democracy. China is not a rule of law country that values free expression. Often dissidents & ethnic minorities are silenced. Elon Musk's @Tesla has recently opened a new showroom in Urumqi, where many people are detained in camps.

.@elonmusk expressed that China will become @Tesla's largest market on Chinese state-media outlets. His appearance on Chinese TV is no different than appearing on #Russian TV to support an authoritarian state. China is committing genocide while Russia is committing war crimes.

.@Twitter unlike many social media platforms has been crucial in advancing human rights causes. It's not perfect but it's been instrumental in many ways. Musk is a good biz man. But Twitter is a value-based platform and I don't believe Mr. Musk shares the same values.

He's too susceptible to China's pressure to protect his biz interests. Many communities who are calling out China's egregious rights abuses would be silenced as a result. China's transnational repression has gone global. Let's not bring it to platforms like @Twitter.