Twitter bans people wishing death on Trump, Dem. Congresswomen wonder where that policy was for them
The congresswomen have complained about receiving threats on social media
On Friday, the four progressive congresswomen known as “The Squad” expressed bewilderment regarding Twitter’s new policy that bans from its platform anyone who wishes harm or death upon someone in light of President Donald Trump‘s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have all complained about receiving threats on social media, but feel that Twitter has done little to protect them.
As previously reported in theGrio, Twitter said in a statement: “Content that wishes, hopes, or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual is against our rules.”
Twitter also stated that users who call for the death of the president will have their accounts removed or put into a “read-only mode.”
Independent reports that the announcement of the new policy from the Twitter Communications team has prompted fierce accusations of double standards in its application of rules, as the site is well known for being riddled with aggressive abuse.
In response to Twitter’s statement, Tlaib tweeted: “Seriously though, this is messed up. The death threats towards us should have been taken more seriously by Twitter.”
Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Pressley also suggested in Twitter posts that the company had not taken threats made against them seriously.
According to CNN, members of The Squad have often been the targets of brutal social media attacks that included death threats.
Read More: Twitter to suspend users who hope for Trump’s death
“At Twitter, it is our top priority to improve the health of the public conversation, and that includes ensuring the safety of the people who use our service. Abuse and harassment have no place on Twitter,” a Twitter spokesperson told CNN.
As CNN regularly reports, tweets that violate Twitter’s rules are often missed or not removed by the company.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
