Elon Musk, the world's richest person and owner of X (formerly Twitter), has spent several days promoting the far-right film Citizen Vigilante, directed by Uwe Boll, who has been described as “the world’s worst director.” The film, which Variety dismissed as “astonishingly bad,” “incoherent,” and “morally bankrupt,” follows a US landlord who murders migrants and their families in Europe. Germany’s film ratings authority refused to classify the movie, effectively blocking its commercial release, with the director stating he was told the film “was inciting violence against migrants.”
Musk's amplification of far-right content
Musk shared the entire film for free on X and retweeted multiple accounts endorsing its message, including the leader of Germany’s far-right AfD party. He also retweeted a rightwing account that approvingly noted how the protagonist “always hang a traitor before you shoot an enemy” and another describing vigilante murder as the “moderate response.” According to a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Musk’s posts about a recent anti-immigrant riot in Northern Ireland—including quote-tweeting Tommy Robinson—garnered over 64 million views.
Criticism and lack of media coverage
Mehdi Hasan, a Guardian US columnist and former MSNBC host, wrote that Musk “is not starting a debate – he is starting a fire,” noting that no major outlets like the New York Times or CNN have covered the promotion. Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister, slammed “the Elon Musks of this world” for “orchestrating hate and tension.” Hasan argued that Musk’s actions legitimize anti-migrant narratives that have inspired real-world violence, from Christchurch to Buffalo.
