A wave of backlash is hitting Elon Musk’s platform, X (formerly Twitter), after the billionaire made a hand gesture at a rally Monday that many are calling a Nazi salute. In response, over 50 subreddits have banned links to X in protest, sending a clear message about the growing frustration with Musk and his platform.
NBC News has tracked these actions across a variety of subreddits—ranging from smaller niche communities to massive ones, totaling at least 40 million members. While the decision affects only a small percentage of active users, it’s a significant blow to X, especially given the large size and influence of these communities.
In many of the posts announcing these bans, moderators were blunt about the trigger: Musk’s hand gesture, which took place at a rally following Donald Trump’s inauguration. Some described it as a full-on Nazi salute, done twice. One of the subreddit moderators for “Destiny 2” (a popular online game with over 900,000 members) wrote:
“Last night, at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and known alt-right personality, showed the world who he truly is, and performed a full Sieg Heil Nazi salute not once, but twice. Here in r/destiny2, we do not tolerate Nazis. Anyone spouting Nazi ideology or hateful speech have, and always will be permanently banned on sight, without chance for appeal.”
The gesture was made as Musk spoke to the crowd, praising them for their role in securing the future of civilization. After placing his right hand on his chest, Musk extended his arm upward at an angle, which many critics quickly compared to the Nazi salute. Musk, for his part, dismissed these accusations as “pure propaganda” and “dirty tricks,” even laughing off the Anti-Defamation League’s comment that it was merely an “awkward gesture.”
Subreddit moderators weren’t just reacting to the salute incident. Many pointed to Musk’s broader support for far-right politics, the unchecked hate speech and pro-Nazi content on X, and his refusal to curb these elements. Additionally, some criticized the fact that X posts are now only viewable by logged-in users—so linking to them without context is even more difficult.
This backlash isn’t just symbolic. Banning X links in these subreddits, particularly the larger ones, weakens Musk’s platform within these communities. Some moderators openly discussed how they hoped this would encourage influential community members to stop using X altogether.
Other subreddits, like the Formula 1 subreddit with nearly 5 million members, took a different route. They’ve imposed a trial ban on X links, with plans to make it permanent unless other platforms, like Bluesky, gain traction among F1 journalists and teams. The subreddit’s moderators acknowledged that it’s a tough situation: they realize that their decision could influence what platform becomes the go-to source for F1 news.
It’s not just gaming and sports communities taking action. Even local subreddits like those for New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, and international cities like Exeter (U.K.) and London (Ontario) have jumped on the bandwagon, banning X links. From music to reality TV subreddits, the protest spans diverse communities across Reddit.
One of the most significant bans came from the NBA subreddit, home to over 15 million members. The moderators there didn’t just ban X links; they also blocked links from Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—all platforms that require users to log in to view posts. Their decision was clear: hate speech and Nazi symbolism shouldn’t be a political issue, and they don’t want it in their community.
“We have reached this decision after taking recent events and strong sentiment from our community into account,” said the post. “While we try our best to stay neutral and apolitical, we do not believe taking a stance against Nazi symbolism is or should be a political issue.”
They also clarified that screenshots from X wouldn’t be allowed either, hoping to push journalists and content creators to explore alternatives like Bluesky.
For Reddit, this isn’t the first time users have protested a major issue. From fighting for net neutrality to protesting other online abuses, subreddit moderators have been vocal before. But the scale of the current movement shows how powerful these communities can be when they feel pushed too far.
Reddit itself, however, made it clear they aren’t taking sides. A spokesperson stated that the company hasn’t imposed a ban on X links and that they continue to support freedom of speech. But as more subreddits make their stands, it’s clear that Musk’s platform is facing significant pushback—one post at a time.
