An Austrian far-right individual who had connections with the Christchurch terrorists prior to the 2019 attack had his X account restored, and Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded to one of his tweets.

Martin Sellner, the founder of the Identity movement, which advocated for the superiority of European ethnic groups, was banned from Twitter in 2020 under previous management, along with several other accounts associated with the movement, due to criticism of the platform’s handling of extremist content.

Sellner was being sought by Austrian authorities in 2019 for suspected collaboration with Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant and a terrorist organization. Sellner has denied any involvement in the attack.

Tarrant had donated 1,500 euros (A$2,487) to Sellner’s identitarian organization, and in 2018, Sellner had invited Tarrant for a drink if he ever visited Austria. It was revealed that they had exchanged emails.

Although Tarrant visited Austria in 2018, Sellner claims they never actually met.

Sellner expressed gratitude towards Musk for reinstating his X account, which now has a blue checkmark and 51,000 followers.

“I am thankful to be back on Twitter/X. A special thanks to Mr. Musk for reopening this platform,” he stated in a translated tweet. “We hope this trend continues and others who were banned return as well.”

After Sellner posted a video about Swiss police shutting down an event he was attending in canton Aargau and restricting his movements, Musk responded by saying, “Is that legal?”

Reports surfaced last month that Germany was considering prohibiting Sellner from entering the country.

Dr. Josh Ruth, an extremism expert from Deakin University, noted that Sellner’s account was one of many far-right accounts, including leaders of Australia’s National Socialist Network, that had been allowed back on X under Musk’s leadership.

According to Ruth, these groups have been reconnecting and establishing international links post their return to the platform. He added, “There is a movement to build connections and expand globally.”

When asked for comment, Musk defended his decision to allow such accounts on the platform, arguing that as long as posts are not illegal, they should not be censored.

While this stance aligns with American free speech standards, critics argue that the account was previously taken down for spreading hate and fear online, and nothing has changed in that regard.

Julie Inman-Grant, the Australian eSafety Commissioner, raised concerns about the reinstatement of accounts that had previously been banned for hateful conduct, emphasizing potential risks to user safety.

X and five other tech platforms received legal notices from Australia’s online safety regulator regarding their handling of extremist and terrorist-related content, with fines being a possible consequence for non-compliance.

Ruth highlighted the need for decisive action against online extremism, emphasizing the importance of upholding fundamental democratic values such as mutual respect and recognition.