Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'
May 29, 2020
Twitter hid and attached a disclaimer to a tweet posted by US President Donald Trump on Friday, accusing him of "glorifying violence."
"...These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" Trump wrote, in reference to protests and unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Trump’s tweet can now only be read after clicking on a notice which says "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
Trump made his post following three consecutive nights of arson, looting and vandalism, as demonstrators voiced their outrage over the death of Floyd, who was seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes as Floyd pleaded that he could not breath.
In a tweet posted to Twitter’s own page, the social media platform wrote, "We've taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts, but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be able to see the Tweet given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance."
Below, it attached a link to a blog post outlining the platform’s definition of "public interest."
Twitter’s move also comes amid an escalating feud between Trump and online platforms — flagging the tweet just hours after Trump signed an executive order that could weaken legal protection for social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Earlier this week, Trump also criticized Twitter for tagging tweets about unsubstantiated claims of fraud about mail-in voting, warning users to fact-check the posts.
lc/rt (Reuters, AFP)