X has pledged to “protect our right to free speech.”
The micro-blogging platform, owned by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, has revealed that it lent its support to Juan David Campolargo, a student who was previously evicted from the University of Illinois over comments that he made on X “about free food on campus.”
“When we learned Mr. Campolargo had been disciplined due to his X posts, we intervened to support him,” the company said in a statement. “If you can be punished for posting about free food, what can’t you be punished for? X hired the Schaerr Jaffe law firm, at no cost to Mr. Campolargo, to submit an appeal to defend his First Amendment right to free speech, which the university had violated. The university first resisted and informed Mr. Campolargo that he was not allowed to be represented by a lawyer in their disciplinary proceedings. Mr. Campolargo has now prevailed in his appeal and is free to resume posting on his X account and can continue his on-campus job and student housing without any issues.”
X subsequently reiterated that it will always defend the right to free speech.
“We must always stand firm in the face of threats and intimidation to protect our right to free speech — it’s the cornerstone of democracy and a fundamental human right,” the company explained. Musk calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” though journalists and other users have questioned his claim.
