Over a hundred subreddits have banned all links to the platform X after the owner, Elon Musk, made a controversial arm gesture during President Donald Trump’s inauguration event. 

Many, including historians, believed Musk’s gesture to be a Nazi salute. Musk dismissed these claims, stating it was “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” However, this response was not good enough for the moderators of Reddit, leading them to finalize their decision. A few subreddits including, r/NBA, r/NFL, and r/TwoXChromosomes, a female-based subreddit, just to name a few, have banned links to X. These three subreddits have a combined total of 40 million people. 

This decision has stirred significant debate within the Reddit community, with users and moderators expressing a wide range of opinions. The subreddit for the Toronto Maple Leafs emphasizes that “we, as a subreddit, do not condone Nazism in any form.” The topic of the ban was discussed in the subreddit r/AskReddit; many were in favor of the ban while others had different thoughts. “I hate this, let people make their own decision whether they click the link or not,” wrote user PsychologyNew8033. Although users can’t access links from X, screenshots from the platform are still allowed in most subreddits. Reddit has stated that these bans are not an official action taken by the platform itself.