Twitter has permanently suspended Donald Trump’s Twitter account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
Twitter previously removed posts Trump made addressing the pro-Trump rioters who stormed Capitol buildings in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
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A mob of pro-Trump rioters invaded U.S. Capitol buildings on Jan. 6 as lawmakers met to certify an election win for Joe Biden. After President-elect Biden addressed the nation on live TV regarding the chaos, Trump shared a video himself on social media -- but that video has since been deleted by Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.
In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. https://t.co/NrANZJcAfo
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. https://t.co/ZcbhDEAYjH
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules and cannot use Twitter to incite violence. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
Twitter has also banned Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn and pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell.
The move comes as part of a purge of QAnon accounts, according to the Associated Press.
Social media companies have been under pressure to take action against hate speech after Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol. Dozens of QAnon social media accounts were hyping up Jan. 6 in the days leading up to a Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press reports that Twitter released the following statement on Friday: “Given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content.”
READ: Experts: Capitol riot product of years of hateful rhetoric