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Hacked Elmo X account called for extermination of Jews: US media / Photo: © AFP/File
Hacked Elmo X account called for extermination of Jews: US media
The X account of Sesame Street's Elmo, a beloved children's TV character, shared antisemitic and anti-Donald Trump posts after being hacked, US media reported Monday.
A slew of messages calling for the extermination of Jewish people and labeling the US president a "puppet" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were shared on the account, according to the reports.
Around 650,000 users follow Elmo, the fuzzy red monster who teaches his young audience about kindness and patience.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, said that an unidentified hacker was behind the posts, which were published on Sunday afternoon before being removed.
"Elmo's X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts," it said in a statement carried by the New York Times.
The hacking on Elon Musk's X platform is the latest in a string of hate speech incidents since the billionaire bought then-Twitter in 2022 and axed moderation policies that he considers censorship.
On Saturday, his xAI startup apologized for antisemitic posts published on X by its artificial intelligence assistant Grok, which praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Antisemitism in particular is facing scrutiny in the United States after two Israeli embassy staffers were killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington in May.
Meanwhile, a firebombing attack at a protest in Colorado supporting Israeli hostages held in Gaza left over a dozen people wounded in June, and an 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries.
T.Ostrowski--GL
