A post by Iran’s supreme leader, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, on X (formerly Twitter) sparked widespread reactions after being flagged by X’s Community Notes for lacking context. The post eulogized the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran yesterday, praising his supposed martyrdom and his willingness to sacrifice for his cause.
“Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years.He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path,” Khamenei wrote on X.
However, X’s community notes swiftly responded by adding context to the post, citing an article from the New York Post that contradicted Khamenei’s portrayal. The article claimed that Ismail Haniyeh had been living a comfortable life in Qatar, far from the dangers of Gaza, and was allegedly a billionaire.
The incident triggered a flurry of comments from users, some of whom applauded X’s feature for holding influential figures accountable. One user remarked, “When community notes makes you their bi***,” while another quipped, “Y’all are not letting Khamenei breathe and it is glorious.
The feature’s role in enabling the public to correct perceived misinformation by influential figures was also highlighted, with one user writing, “Got to love community notes. I suspect most of the elite backlash against Twitter is because the hoi polloi can now freely correct their ‘betters.'”
This feature has become a tool for users to add context and challenge narratives, reflecting the platform’s shifting dynamics.
