In a bizarre video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, the Republican governor of Texas Greg Abbott falsely claimed that free speech social media website Gab is “an anti-semitic platform” that has “no place in Texas,” drawing immediate mockery online for his inaccurate statements.
In the video, Abbott is seen sitting in his wheelchair while flanked by the American and Texan flags, with the Israeli flag taking a prominent role centered directly behind him.
“Anti-semitic platforms like Gab have no place in Texas, and certainly do not represent Texas values,” Abbott said. The governor then displayed an unnamed piece of legislation created by Republican Texas representatives Phil King and Craig Goldman, which he proudly proclaims to fight “anti-semitism in Texas.”
Anti-Semitic platforms do not represent Texas values.
Proud to support @PhilKingTX & @GoldmanCraig’s bill to fight anti-Semitism in our communities. #txlege pic.twitter.com/ZVri3z0Wis
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) March 11, 2021
Abbott’s tweet was quickly rebutted and ratioed by the official Gab Twitter account.
“Gab is not an “anti-semitic” platform. We protect the political speech of all Americans, regardless of viewpoint, because in this age of cancel culture nobody else will. That means unpopular viewpoints may be found on the site,” the official Gab account posted in response to Abbott’s tweet.
Gab followed up with another tweet that sharply ratioed Abbott, stating, “The enemies of freedom smear us with every name in the book because they hate America and they hate free speech. It’s a shame to see a GOP politician fall for this trap when conservative values are under sustained attack all over the country.”
The enemies of freedom smear us with every name in the book because they hate America and they hate free speech. It's a shame to see a GOP politician fall for this trap when conservative values are under sustained attack all over the country.
— Gab.com (@getongab) March 11, 2021
Andrew Torba, the CEO of Gab, reiterated these statements on his personal Gab account, again receiving many more likes than the Governor did in his tweet.
National File contacted Abbott’s press office to ascertain how Abbott determined that Gab, founded by a self-professed Christian who openly discusses his faith, is anti-Semitic. We did not receive an immediate response.
This is a developing story and may be updated as additional information becomes available.