Elon Musk suspends Kanye West's Twitter account after swastika post (and not for fat-shaming Musk)
Kanye West's eventful Thursday ended with him being suspended from Twitter again, two weeks after the social media company reinstated his account following Elon Musk's ownership. "I tried my best," Musk tweeted late Thursday. "Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended." The final straw for West, who now goes by Ye, was apparently posting a Jewish Star of David with a swastika in the middle.
Twitter removed that post, and Ye started posting screenshots purporting to be text exchanges he had with Musk over on rival social media site Truth Social. "Sorry, but you have gone too far," Musk apparently wrote about the swastika image. "This is not love." Ye wrote back: "Who made you the judge." Musk, according to the screenshots, then quoted the first part of the Lord's Prayer, to which Ye replied, "I'm Jesus name," and then posted a screenshot of a noticed his account has been suspended for 12 hours.
Before being booted from the site, Ye posted an unflattering photo of Musk being hosed down, topless, by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. "Let's always remember this as my final tweet," he tweeted. "That is fine," Musk replied.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This is not," he replied under the image of the swastika (presumably, since that post was removed). "Just clarifying that his account is being suspended for incitement to violence, not an unflattering pic of me being hosed by Ari," Musk clarified in another tweet. "Frankly, I found those pics to be helpful motivation to lose weight!"
Ye's account was initially banned in October after started his downward spiral of antisemitic screeds. That spiral hit a new low earlier Thursday when he went on Alex Jones' Infowar show with his new pal white supremacist Nick Fuentes and repeatedly expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler and Nazis.
Still, Musk has called himself a "free speech absolutist" and vowed to make Twitter a haven for "free speech." He has recently started citing the Bible to explain his general amnesty for previously banned Twitter accounts, but as Talking Points Memo chief Josh Marshall noted early Friday, it's not clear just what will get you kicked off Twitter anymore.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Airplane food is reportedly getting much worse
Cockroaches and E. coli are among the recent problems encountered in the skies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopics
Speed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published