Musk Makes $2 Million Vigilante Film Free on X for 48 Hours, Boosting Europe’s Far Right
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 27
Musk Makes $2 Million Vigilante Film Free on X for 48 Hours, Boosting Europe’s Far Right
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 27
Summary
Elon Musk put Uwe Boll’s $2 million film "Citizen Vigilante" on X for 48 hours in late June, helping push it briefly into top streaming charts on Apple and Amazon.
The movie depicts an American killing police, judges, migrants and a Muslim family in a crusade against immigration and "woke" officials; Musk also reposted praise calling vigilante murder a "moderate response" to immigrant crime.
That promotion fits Musk’s broader turn toward Europe’s hard right on X, where he has backed Marine Le Pen, amplified Tommy Robinson and Rupert Lowe, and endorsed "remigration" after a Berlin Pride attack.
Researchers say X’s loosened moderation has made the platform a hub for far-right narratives, with the Center for Countering Digital Hate counting 4,000 calls for violence under posts by Musk and allied activists.
Musk defended the film in an Economist interview, saying "it’s a movie and it’s worth watching," while critics called it "astonishingly bad" and "fascist propaganda" despite an estimated $600,000 in streaming revenue.
Did Musk’s 48-hour free release of a banned-in-Germany vigilante film reveal how X can turn fringe extremism into mainstream attention?
When a platform owner promotes violent anti-immigration content as “worth watching,” where should the line between free expression and amplification be drawn?