SAN FRANCISCO:
After Twitter flagged a tweet by US President Donald Trump for violating its rules on glorification of violence, some users on Friday commended the microblogging site for finally taking the action against Trump while others warned this could be the beginning of the end for the platform.
The call for suspending Trump”s Twitter account also grew louder following Twitetr”s action.
“Suspend him. You should have done it years ago,” said a user in response to Twitter”s message that it had taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts.
Twitter placed a public interest notice on a tweet from Trump that read: “….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!”
Although Twitter did not remove the tweet, it kept the message hidden. Users need to click on “View” to see the tweet. “People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but will not be able to Like, Reply or Retweet” this particular Trump tweet in question.
Trump”s message was in reaction to the protests that erupted across the US on Thursday following the death of a 46-year-old African-American man named George Floyd on Monday allegedly due to police brutality. A white police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to the back of his neck while he was handcuffed and other officers stood by.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to restore order after protests over Floyd”s death turned violent, with widespread damage and looting in Minneapolis city. Trump”s tweet in reaction to these developments did go down well with many users. Some even commended Twitter for hiding his tweet.
“It”s a start. Thank you. That said, he”s tearing this country apart and using Twitter as his primary vehicle for doing so. Historians will use this relationship as a case study. Suspend him,” wrote one user.
“Thank you for taking this action. I do disagree, however, that the tweet should remain. It”s not in the public interest to incite violence. But taking this action is at least an improvement, IMO,” wrote another.
Others, however, warned Twitter. “This is the beginning of the end of @twitter as we know it. After the upcoming lawsuits it will either be under entirely new leadership or simply replaced by other superior platforms,” wrote one user.
