An Open Letter to Louis Vuitton
Elon Musk’s X is paying creators to post Nazi propaganda. Are X clients and partners complicit?
Dear Louis Vuitton:
Last week, Taylor Fisher, Luxury Retail Client Partner at X (formerly Twitter), posted a photo on X, saying she spent her birthday with the “masterminds behind Louis Vuitton.” X CEO Linda Yaccarino reposted it.
In 2017, the Forward asked: “Was Louis Vuitton a Nazi Sympathizer?” The Jewish publication wrote:
“Do we focus on the future and forgive Louis Vuitton his pro-Nazi indiscretions?
“A spokesman for LVMH told the Guardian [in 2004]: ‘This is ancient history. The book covers a period when it was family-run and long before it became part of LVMH. We are diverse, tolerant and all the things a modern company should be.’”
But now that Elon Musk’s X is paying creators to post Nazi propaganda, are X clients and partners like Louis Vuitton complicit?
UPDATES: Media Matters for America reported on Monday: “A verified account that has drawn millions of views for posts that lionize Hitler and deny the Holocaust said that it’s been paid $3,000 this year by X. Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino’s platform has continued to be a boon for bigots and misinformation but a disaster for advertisers.”
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) released a new report on Tuesday that suggests X (formerly Twitter) is failing to remove posts that violate its own community rules regarding misinformation, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other hate speech.
On Wednesday, agreeing with an antisemitic post on his social media platform X, Elon Musk endorsed the claim that Jewish communities push “hatred against Whites.”
Earlier this year, Elon Musk sued the CCDH, claiming the watchdog group was driving away advertisers. Since Louis Vuitton is an X advertiser / partner, what is Louis Vuitton’s responsibility?
Also last week, BBC reporter Shayan Sardarizadeh identified an account on X that had posted a “Hitler was right” thread. The thread, which remains intact as of this writing and has received more than 735,000 views, also includes a photo meme showing Adolf Hitler surrounded by Nazi personnel, identifying their fight against “the satanic jewish banking cartel that rules you today.”
A receipt posted by the account shows it has received nearly $3,000 year-to-date to post a plethora of Nazi propaganda and Holocaust denial content. The account posted a “Hitler was right” meme in its thread, potentially in violation of German law. Louis Vuitton operates 10 stores in Germany, according to their website.
The German penal code “prohibits publicly denying the Holocaust and disseminating Nazi propaganda, both off- and online. This includes sharing images such as swastikas, wearing an SS uniform and making statements in support of Hitler.”
Last month, the European Commission launched an investigation into X to see whether it complies with new EU tech rules on illegal and harmful content.
UPDATE: On Tuesday, X CEO Linda Yaccarino reposted an item by X News Daily, citing a quote by David Juul Ledstrup to promote X advertising. I reached out to Ledstrup, asking how X advertisers’ brands are impacted by X paying creators for Nazi-themed content.
Ledstrup messaged me, saying he and his company “would never condone this type of content,” and would only advise all the brands they work with to only advertise in “brand safe environments.” He added, “I personally find the content in question despicable.”
Questions:
1. Does Louis Vuitton have concerns about brand damage resulting from its partnership with X, since Elon Musk’s company is paying creators to post Nazi propaganda and boosting those posts from blue-check accounts.
2. Given the laws in Europe, particularly Germany, prohibiting dissemination of Nazi propaganda and Holocaust denial, does Louis Vuitton, which has 10 stores in Germany, have any concerns about the company’s potential liability resulting from its partnership with X?
3. Are Louis Vuitton’s pro-Nazi indiscretions truly “ancient history”? If so, does Louis Vuitton or LVMH plan to take action on its partnership with X?
4. Any comment from Louis Vuitton?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Everyone who is against Nazis
No one from Louis Vuitton or LVMH has responded to inquiries.
In response to inquiries, Taylor Fisher, X Client Partner for Luxury Retail, blocked the author of this open letter.
The blue-check account that posted the pro-Hitler, Holocaust denying content above has also blocked the author of this letter who reported the Nazi-themed thread to X on November 10th.
