Apparently Twitter’s guidelines about violence only apply to Donald Trump, not communist Chinese state-controlled news outlets. The Global Times threatened Taiwan and potential allies with becoming “cannon fodder” on Twitter, and Twitter has not yet censored the clear threat.
The U.S. State Department designated Global Times a “foreign mission” in 2020, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls the outlet. Global Times quote tweeted a story from ABC News on Oct. 4. “Taiwan asks Australia for help to prepare for war with China,” was the ABC message. Global Times responded with an open threat of violence against Taiwan and Australia, should the latter choose to support Taiwan. “#COMMENT Since Taiwan authorities are preparing for war, let's see whether Australia is willing to accompany Taiwan separatist regime to become cannon fodder,” Global Times tweeted.
The Global Times’s violent tweet was still up on Twitter as of publication, 11 days after the tweet was first posted.
Twitter’s “Glorification of violence policy” states, “You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence.” Twitter does make a vague exception for “violent acts by state actors, where violence was not primarily targeting protected groups.” But is not a clear threat from one nation to another a violation of Twitter’s policy?
Then-President Donald Trump was permanently banned by Twitter on Jan. 8, 2021, with the excuse, “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” Does Twitter not consider a threat from a CCP-controlled news source directed at two sovereign nations as “risk of further incitement of violence”?
This is not the first time Twitter has appeared to apply guidelines unequally. The New York Post noted the platform’s hypocrisy in January when #KillTrump was allowed to trend. Accounts, including Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, calling for violence were also allowed on the site while Trump was censored. MRC Free Speech America reported in January that Trump was censored 625 times since May 31, 2018, while Joe Biden remained uncensored.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Twitter at (415) 222-9670 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
