Elon Musk orders X lawyers to defend student facing disciplinary action over tweets

Elon Musk has defended a US student who got in trouble because of his X/Twitter posts.

Juan David Campolargo from the University of Illinois took to the platform to share events on campus that had free food. However, one of which turned out to be a private function.

Subsequently, Campolargo was accused of breaking the school's code of conduct, according to a letter obtained by the Financial Times. He was also at risk of being kicked out of his student accommodation.

Since being accused in early November, self-titled 'free speech absolutist' Musk has stepped in to offer his help and support through his X lawyers.

The tech mogul shared the story to his 163 million followers, and wrote: "We will do whatever it takes to support your right to free speech!"

Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The decision was supported by many X users, with one user thanking Musk for his efforts. "This is incredible, thank you X and Elon," they wrote.

Another Musk fan added: "This is absolutely incredible. Well done, Elon. Yet another example of how X is the last stand for free speech!"

Meanwhile, a third tweeted: "It’s good to see that X is following through on its promise to support users’ free speech. I hope that this will set a precedent for other companies to follow. It’s important for companies to stand up for freedom of speech, even when it’s unpopular."

The X lawyers argued that Campolargo was within his First Amendment rights and issued a letter addressing the college.

Schaerr Jaffe lawyers, representing Campolargo "with the support of X Corp" said that if the school did not "reverse the preliminary finding," it would "result in a violation of his rights."

The letter added: "Should the University uphold and punish Mr Campolargo for his September 30, 2023 posts, Mr Campolargo would have a claim against the University for violation of his First Amendment rights."

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