Nicolás Maduro blocks X for 10 days in Venezuela amid spat with Elon Musk
GuardianAUG 2 2024
Venezuela's Maduro Bans Access to X for 10 Days
Above: President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro speaks to his supporters during the 'Gran Marcha Nacional' on August 3, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. Image copyright: Jesus Vargas/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Elon Musk doesn't care about Venezuelans, let alone democracy. Given the nature of his businesses, it's easy to understand why he has decided to discuss Venezuelan politics almost daily on his social media platform: Musk wants to increase his influence with America's rising far-right and reinforce his views that the left is dangerous.
Right narrative
Maduro's desperate refusal to leave power has sent his country into further chaos — and behaving as the dictator he is, he is now attacking every existing social media platform where he can't control information. If Elon Musk were the problem, why would Maduro also attack China-owned TikTok and Meta's Instagram and WhatsApp?