Elon Musk defended on Sunday defended immunologist and pediatrician Dr Kulvinder Kaur Gill for criticising the UK government on 'Covid lockdown efforts and vaccination mandates'. Then X's owner, Elon Musk quoted the post and said, "in support of your right to speak".
During the summer of 2020, the coronavirus epidemic brought the globe to a halt. Kulvinder Kaur Gill, an Indian physician, opposed the government's imposition of mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. However, the former administration of X/Twitter censored her views and faced legal action from medical organizations.
Dr Gill, a physician in Canada specialising in immunology and paediatrics, is now embroiled in a legal battle stemming from her Covid-related tweets. Facing a daunting CAD 300,000 (Rs 1,83,75,078) in legal fees, she received support from X, which has pledged to cover her expenses.
In a statement, X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote: "Because she spoke out publicly on Twitter (now X) in opposition to the Canadian and Ontario governments' COVID lockdown efforts and vaccination mandates, she was harassed by the legacy media, censored by prior Twitter management, and subjected to investigations and disciplinary proceedings by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario that resulted in "cautions" being placed on her permanent public record."
In support of your right to speak https://t.co/qWCOYYALPf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)The statement further added: "When Elon Musk learnt about her crowdfunding effort to settle the judgment (https://givesendgo.com/kulvinder), he promised to help. X will now fund the remainder of Dr. Gill's campaign, allowing her to pay her $300,000 judgment and legal bills."
The subsequent legal battles depleted Dr Gill's life savings, placing her in significant debt. The Indian-origin doctor is a vocal critic against vaccination. "If you have not yet figured out that we don't need a vaccine, you are not paying attention. #FactsNotFear," she posted on X in August, 2020.
Many in the mainstream media as well as the medical community harshly criticized her posts. Dr. Gill accused 23 medical professionals, reporters, and media organizations of participating in a defamation campaign against her.