Ford Motor Company says X account was 'briefly compromised' after posts call to 'Free Palestine'

On Monday, a series of anti-Israel messages were posted on the Ford Motor Company's account on X before being they were deleted, sparking speculation and debate over the source of the posts. The messages sent from Ford's handle read, “Free Palestine,” along with a Palestinian flag, "Israel is a terrorist state," and "ALL EYES ON GAZA."

X users shared screenshots of the posts and speculated that Ford's account had been hacked, or that a social media intern or employee at the auto giant got confused between their personal account and the company’s or just wanted to make trouble, noting that the company was based in Dearborn, Michigan, a hotbed of anti-Israel activism in the Muslim-heavy population.

In an statement to CBS News Detroit, Ford said, "Our X account was briefly compromised and the previous three posts were not authorized or posted by Ford. We are investigating the issue, and apologize for any confusion caused."

Social media pundits joked that Henry Ford returned from the dead and wrote the posts because they were in line with his antisemitic writings.

The founder of the auto giant was notoriously anti-semitic and xenophobic so much so that there is an entire section of the Henry Ford Museum website dedicated to discussing it.

According to the website, “The most controversial and least admirable aspect of Ford’s career was his descent into anti-Semitism.  Convinced that ‘bankers’ and ‘the Jews’ were responsible for a whole range of things he didn’t like, from the world war to short skirts to jazz music, Ford used his newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, to carry on an active anti-Semitic campaign. Between 1920 and 1922 a series of articles denounced all things Jewish. While officially apologizing for the articles in 1927, Ford’s anti-Jewish sentiments ran deep.”

“Appearing on the front page every week, ‘The International Jew: The World’s Problem’ examined a purported conspiracy launched by Jewish groups to achieve world domination.  The basis for the articles was an ancient and notorious forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an anti-Semitic hoax, first published in Russia in 1903.”

The museum noted, “The publication of ‘The International Jew’ caused an uproar.  In some quarters, such as anti-immigrant and nativist groups, the series confirmed their own beliefs.  Others were appalled by the series, published demands for a retraction, removed the paper from public libraries, and promoted a boycott of Ford automobiles.  Some Ford dealers refused to carry the paper.  Responding to this pressure, Ford halted publication of the anti-Jewish series in January 1922, only to start it up again less than a year later.”