(NEWSnet/AP) — Elon Musk restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform that showed favor for the “Infowars” host.

Among claims Jones has made: The 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.

Musk posted a poll on Saturday asking if Jones should be reinstated, with the results showing 70% of those who responded in favor.

Early Sunday, Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be.”

A few hours later, Jones' posts were visible again and he retweeted a post about his video game. He and his Infowars show had been banned in 2018 for abusive behavior.

Musk, who has described himself as a free speech absolutist, said the move is about protecting those rights. In response to a user who posted that “permanent account bans are antithetical to free speech,” Musk wrote, “I find it hard to disagree with this point.”

It is a major turnaround for Musk, who previously said he wouldn’t allow Jones to return to X. Last year, Musk pointed to the death of his first-born child and tweeted, “I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.”

Jones repeatedly has said on his show that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six educators didn’t truly happen and was staged in an effort to tighten gun laws.

Relatives of many of the victims sued Jones in Connecticut and Texas, receiving nearly $1.5 billion in judgments against him.

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