Twitter’s decision to suspend several journalists Thursday is being met with backlash from fellow reporters as well as government officials in the United States and abroad.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk accused the reporters, from The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and other publications, of posting “my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service.”

The suspensions came a day after Twitter banned a bot account, @ElonJet, that tracked Musk’s private plane. Some of the journalists posted on Twitter about the ban, which included noting, with links, that a matching account operated by the same Florida college student, Jack Sweeney, was still active on Facebook.

Musk purchased Twitter in October for $44 billion, saying he wanted to protect free speech on the platform. Seven weeks in, he was being accused of silencing journalists who cover Twitter, some of whom have criticized him.

“Musk was critical of Twitter’s prior content moderation policies, yet he’s lashing out and clamping down on the free speech of journalists,” Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., tweeted Friday. “He’s not here for free speech— Musk wants to control content himself.”

“Reporters are a big part of Twitter’s value,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote on Twitter. “Elon Musk spent billions to buy this platform just to ban his critics who try to shed light on the truth. His childish actions are a fast track to Twitter becoming obsolete.”

Claire Regan, national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, said in a statement: “Twitter’s action affects all journalists and goes against Musk’s promise to uphold free speech on the platform.”

The group Reporters Without Borders said: “E. Musk has shown that his management of Twitter is a disaster for the right to information. Twitter’s decision to ban the accounts of several journalists proves that the arbitrary way the leading online platforms are run poses a major threat to democracy.”

Jonathan Karl, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, tweeted that he was logging off Twitter until the suspended journalists’ accounts are reinstated.

“Hey @elonmusk - a free forum doesn’t ban journalists,” Karl wrote.

Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., tweeted that she met with Twitter hours before the suspensions and was assured the social media company would not retaliate against journalists or researchers who publish criticisms of the platform. 

“Less than 12 hours later, multiple technology reporters have been suspended. What's the deal, @elonmusk?” she wrote.

Overseas, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova threatened Twitter with sanctions.

“News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying,” she tweeted. “EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct. @elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.”

United Nations spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said she is “Deeply disturbed by reports of journalists being arbitrarily suspended from Twitter.”

“Media freedom is not a toy,” Fleming tweeted. “A free press is the cornerstone of democratic societies and a key tool in the fight against harmful disinformation.”

Musk said the journalists were suspended for violating a Twitter policy, just added Wednesday, prohibiting the direct sharing of someone’s live location as well as links to such information. The billionaire indicated the new rule was in response to a stalker accosting a car carrying one of his children. 

Matt Binder of the tech news site Mashable, however, insisted he did not share any location data or link to any @ElonJet accounts. Binder said his account was suspended after sharing a screenshot from CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, whose account was also suspended, of a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department saying the stalker incident had not been reported as a crime.

Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell said in a Twitter Audio Spaces conversation shortly after his account was suspended that he posted a link to an @ElonJet page as part of his reporting but noted Twitter had blocked such links, which it labeled as “potentially harmful.” Musk joined the conversation before abruptly leaving. Twitter Audio Spaces soon went offline for all users — Musk said the company was fixing a bug.

Twitter did not provide any warning to the journalists or communicate directly the reason behind their suspensions. Independent journalist Aaron Rupar shared a screen capture on his Substack page that said the ban was permanent, and Binder said he received the same message. Musk, however, has indicated that suspensions would last anywhere from one day to a week.

“You doxx, you get suspended, end of story,” Musk said in the Twitter Audio Spaces chat. 

Doxxing is the act of publicly sharing private information.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., defended Musk, saying, “Twitter can suspend whoever it wants.”

“It’s a private company. That’s how free markets work,” he tweeted before attacking Republicans who have complained about social media content moderation rules that they view as biased against them. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, accused the suspended reporters of being “political activists” who had demanded Twitter accounts belonging to her, former President Donald Trump and other conservatives be banned.

“They need to stop being political activists and just be press,” she tweeted.