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Twitter says it’s hiding President Trump’s tweet on the Minnesota protests for violating its “policies regarding the glorification of violence.” The social media company has slapped a warning label that will conceal the tweet by default in users’ timelines and only when someone taps it manually will they be able to read it.
“This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today,” wrote Twitter’s official communications handle in a tweet.
In a subsequent tweet, Twitter argued it’s not taking down Trump’s thread altogether “given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance.” “We’ve taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts,” added Twitter.
In addition, Twitter is limiting engagements with the tweet in question. Therefore, while people will be able to retweet it with a comment, they can’t like, reply, or retweet it directly.
It’s also worth noting Twitter is not flagging either of the thread’s tweets. The public interest notice was specifically issued due to the last line of the follow-up tweet which says, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” The comment likely references a quote from former Miami Police Chief Walter Headley who was in charge during the Miami’s 1967 race riots and instigated violence in the African American community at the time with the phrase: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
President Donald Trump has not issued a comment on Twitter’s decision to hide his tweet yet.
Earlier this week, Twitter fact-checked one of Trump’s tweets for the first time. The decision has landed Twitter in a public spat with the president, who accused it of becoming “an editor with a viewpoint” and yesterday signed a rushed executive order that is expected to make social media companies more liable for the content they host.
In response, Twitter called the EO “a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law.” In a tweet, the company added that, “#Section230 protects American innovation and freedom of expression, and it’s underpinned by democratic values. Attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.”
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