Elon Musk reinstates Twitter accounts of proud Islamophobe Laura Loomer and bigoted conspiracy theorist Roger Stone
Written by Ruby Seavey
Published
A week after declaring he would grant “general amnesty” to previously suspended accounts, Twitter CEO Elon Musk is continuing to reinstate high-profile right-wing users. His latest move has brought back anti-Muslim extremist Laura Loomer and “Stop the Steal” organizer and longtime GOP operative Roger Stone to Twitter.
Shortly after Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was finalized on October 27, previously banned users — including Loomer and Stone — celebrated the completed deal. Musk initially promised civil rights organizations that there would be a “clear process” for reinstating previously suspended accounts but quickly went back on his word when he declared “Freedom Fridays” on November 18 and brought back Jordan Peterson and The Babylon Bee. He has since reinstated multiple other high-profile right-wing users, including former President Donald Trump, and granted “general amnesty” to include accounts that push misinformation and white nationalist rhetoric.
Now, Musk has reinstated two more high-profile far-right accounts: Laura Loomer and Roger Stone.
Loomer, a conspiracy theorist, has previously described herself as a “proud Islamophobe” who is “pro-white nationalism” and was banned from Twitter in 2018 after making anti-Muslim attacks against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). After she was reinstated on December 8, Loomer tweeted that Musk “has finally unchained me from the doors of Twitter HQ,” referencing her bizarre 2018 protest over the suspension.
![Laura Loomer Tweet thanking Elon Musk for unchain[ing] me from the doors of Twitter HQ](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/styles/scale_w1024/s3/static/D8Image/2022/12/08/screen-shot-2022-12-08-at-4.48.56-pm.png?VersionId=JsdC245Weay986TaZIAEUbZjldqAtkDg&itok=0pApCgT8)
Trump ally and self-proclaimed dirty trickster Stone supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen, promoted violence ahead of the January 6 insurrection, and has spread conspiracy theories about 9/11. He was banned from Twitter in 2017 after threatening multiple CNN reporters. Stone tried to rejoin the platform in April 2022, when Musk was still in the process of buying Twitter, but was suspended again shortly after. On December 7, Stone was officially reinstated and thanked Musk for his “commitment to fairness and free speech.”
Other high-profile right-wing accounts that are being brought back to Twitter under Musk’s leadership include:
- Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA)
- Right-wing organization Project Veritas
- Right-wing personality Alex Lorusso
- Anti-LGBTQ figure James Lindsay
- Misogynist Andrew Tate
- Right-wing figure Juanita Broaddrick
- Anti-trans activist Meghan Murphy
- Antisemite E. Michael Jones
- British anti-feminist far-right personality Carl Benjamin
- Right-wing blogger David Vance