Twitter CEO Elon Musk faced accusations of banning Antifa accounts.
Steven Monacelli reported on Tuesday that the group Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (EFJBGC)—a leftist group based in Texas that operates as armed protection for LGBTQ events—had been suspended after breaking Twitter’s content rules.
NEW: @EFJBGC, an antifascist club which has acted as a volunteer armed deterrent for Proud Boys and militia members who have menaced LGBTQ+ events across north Texas, has been suspended. This comes after several anti-LGBTQ+ accounts and media figures were reinstated. pic.twitter.com/jfKfUiKeMe
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) November 22, 2022
According to a screenshot posted by Monacelli, the group was suspended for violating the platform’s rules “against hateful conduct,” citing two recent tweets from the club.
An activist with @efjbgc just shared the suspension report they received, citing their posts as "hateful conduct."
Incidentally, all of the videos posted by people with Blaze TV calling attendees of a Transgender Storytime event "groomers" and "pedophiles" are still on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/uiXZGS3E4T
— steven monacelli (@stevanzetti) November 22, 2022
From Newsweek:
On Wednesday, clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo reported that Chad Loder, an outspoken anti-fascist from Los Angeles, California, had also been suspended. Loder had reportedly been keeping track of anti-fascists who had recently been banned from the platform, according to a screenshot posted by Micah Lee, a writer at The Intercept.
Monacelli posted that he had reached out to Loder to ask if he had received a “suspension report” from Twitter explaining why his account had been banned. Loder reportedly said he had yet to receive one.
According to Kyle Becker, Musk is accused of being a “right-wing bogeyman” for reinstating banned conservative accounts.
Elon Musk responded: “As is obvious to all but the media, there is not one permanent ban on even the most far left account spouting utter lies.”
As is obvious to all but the media, there is not one permanent ban on even the most far left account spouting utter lies
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2022
Musk also tweeted that Twitter “moving rapidly to establish an even playing field. No more thumb on the scale!”
It has been really bad. Far left San Francisco/Berkeley views have been propagated to the world via Twitter.
I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone watching closely.
Twitter is moving rapidly to establish an even playing field. No more thumb on the scale!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2022
Newsweek added:
Other users identifying as anti-fascist also shared fears of their accounts being banned in the near future, including the account Tonight We Riot, a video game that simulates “worker liberation in face of overpowering capitalism,” according to the Nintendo store.
“Looks like Elon Musk is going full mask-off and outright banning a ton of high profile anti-fascist accounts,” the account wrote. “If we disappear as well, you know why.”
Looks like Elon Musk is going full mask-off and outright banning a ton of high profile anti-fascist accounts.
If we disappear as well, you know why.
— Tonight We Riot (@TonightWeRiot) November 23, 2022
Meanwhile, Antifa is reportedly planning attacks on local Tesla dealerships.
*Screenshots provided by Citizen Free Press*
Antifa in Portland are reportedly organizing arson attacks on Tesla locations tonight.
This is in response to Twitter recently suspending Antifa militants because of their child exploitation and violent threats.
Biden’s DOJ needs to mobilize against these domestic terrorists.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 25, 2022
Portland #Antifa are planning arson attacks at Tesla locations after Twitter owner @elonmusk started suspending accounts that organize or call for violence. They've released a list of addresses. Antifa say they'll target Portland's @Tesla location tonight. https://t.co/6IcbuK0aWS
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 25, 2022
As revenge for @elonmusk suspending violent extremist accounts on Twitter, #Antifa in Portland are organizing arson attacks on @Tesla locations tonight.
This is just a drop in the ocean of years of violent organizing on Twitter. https://t.co/UXTWORonjJ https://t.co/n8B5Z4K08C pic.twitter.com/GrWjwdLqPV
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 25, 2022
The Post Millennial reported:
Portland Antifa are planning arson attacks at Tesla locations on Friday night after Twitter owner Elon Musk started suspending accounts that call for violence.
The Post Millennial Editor-at-Large Andy Ngo tweeted, “As revenge for @elonmusk suspending violent extremist accounts on Twitter, #Antifa in Portland are organizing arson attacks on @Tesla locations tonight. This is just a drop in the ocean of years of violent organizing on Twitter.”
Ngo points to Twitter user AshRedacted, whose profile states he uses “he/they” pronouns and identifies as an “Anarchist.”
AshRedacted posted, “Tonight in Portland! Every city, every town! Show up at your local Tesla dealerships in protest of Elon Musk! This will be a thread with other flyers that pop up and other notable Tesla locations across the so called ‘US’.”
The image posted by AshRedacted shows a Tesla ablaze and reads “f*ck Elon Musk.”
“The fascist Elon Musk has chosen his side in history aligning with fascists and white supremacy so tonight we are calling for actions across the so called ‘US’ at ever local Tesla dealership,” the flyer reads.
On Thursday, Musk called for people on the social media platform to reply if users see any issues that need to be addressed. “Removing child exploitation is priority #1. Please reply in comments if you see anything that Twitter needs to address.”
Ngo replied and noted that a large number of Twitter accounts used by Antifa members and groups are used to incite violence and remain unbanned.
In response to reports of these violent protests, Musk wrote on Twitter, “concerning.”
Concerning
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
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