Kanye West Gets Suspended From Twitter For Inciting Violence, Musk Says
West had "violated our rule against incitement to violence," Musk tweeted.
Just two months after his last ban, Kanye West has been barred from Twitter and accused of "inciting violence" due to obscene posts. The American rapper, now known as Ye, sent out a series of erratically timed tweets, one of which appeared to combine a Jewish star with a swastika.
One user pleaded with Elon Musk, the new CEO of Twitter, to "fix Kanye." West had "violated our rule against incitement to violence," Musk tweeted.
"Account will be suspended," Musk wrote in a Twitter post.
Also on Thursday, while wearing a mask and speaking with American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, West praised the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and ranted about sin, pornography, and the devil. The head of the Holocaust Educational Trust in the UK described West's remarks as "repulsive and sickening."
These comments, combined with his high profile and large following, have dangerous consequences, chief executive Karen Pollock stated. Adidas severed its relationship with musician Kanye West after he made a series of antisemitic and racist comments in recent months.
After posting antisemitic remarks in October, West had his Twitter and Instagram accounts temporarily suspended. Both platforms took down West's posts after determining they violated their hate speech standards and claimed rapper Diddy was under Jewish influence.
These tweets were a response to criticism he received for wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt during his presentation at Paris Fashion Week. His statement was labeled "hate speech" by the Anti-Defamation League in the US, which noted that white nationalists began using it in 2015 in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In March of this year, West received a 24-hour Instagram ban for using a racial slur in reference to comedian Trevor Noah.
When rapper Kanye West suggested that the centuries-long enslavement of African Americans may have been a "choice" in 2018, musician Will.i.am spearheaded a reaction against him. West then attempted to clarify his comments.
His most recent Twitter suspension came only hours after the right-wing social media site Parler, which bills itself as a "free speech" alternative to popular platforms, announced that West was no longer allowed to purchase the business.
In a statement, Parlement Technologies said: "The company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale."
West had "violated our rule against incitement to violence," Musk tweeted.
PA MediaThe company, which manages the much smaller platform that is well-liked by conservatives and the extreme right, stated that the decision was made in mid-November.
"Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community," the firm said in its statement.
West was initially banned from Twitter and Instagram after posting antisemitic messages in October.
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When Musk assumed ownership of Twitter in October, he immediately set out to implement a number of drastic changes within the social media giant, including eliminating restrictions on some accounts. He has emphasized that he had no involvement in getting West back on Twitter, claiming that the account had already been reinstated when he first acquired the social media platform.
West has openly discussed his struggles with mental health since receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis many years ago. However, medical professionals and others who share the same condition as West have cautioned that mental health issues and antisemitism are not related.
