For years, many on the right have complained that Twitter censors conservatives while turning a blind eye to left-wing violence and child pornography.
However, new company owner Elon Musk says he’s aware of the problem. What’s more, the billionaire recently made clear that he’s had enough.
Andy Ngo details violent threats from Antifa
That was evident from an exchange Musk had last week with conservative journalist Andy Ngo. Musk told another user that “removing child exploitation is priority #1” when Ngo brought up the issue of Antifa violence.
A large number of Antifa accounts operate on Twitter to promote riots, give tips on how to commit violent crimes & post names, photos & addresses of targets plus their family members.
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 24, 2022
Musk responded that incitement to violence is grounds for suspension, leading Ngo to ask, “How do we best inform Twitter of these violations?”
“Last year Antifa used Twitter to direct comrades to swarm me after I ran into a hotel following a violent street beating,” he continued while linking to a New York Post article reporting on the attack.
Musk called the story “disturbing” and said he was concerned that Twitter took no action in response to it. Ngo proceeded to point to an Antifa account called @crimethinc with a history of violent rhetoric.
.@crimethinc, an Antifa collective, makes riot guides, texts to radicalize people into criminal militancy, & propaganda that is shared via Twitter for people to distribute. They’ve claimed a number of attacks & give instructions on how to form cells, what riot gear to bring, etc. pic.twitter.com/dlNouwlt5v
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 25, 2022
Ngo next detailed how the account promoted a GoFundMe campaign to raise money on behalf of “a violent extremist who calls for arson attacks & fantasizes about killing people.”
Antifa account suspended
Ngo’s words seem not to have gone unnoticed by Musk as Crimethinc’s website quickly put out a statement complaining that its Twitter account had been suspended.
Last year, Seattle-based conservative talk radio host Jason Rantz penned an op-ed piece for Fox News in which he described how Antifa members used Twitter to target him.
“If you’re deemed unfriendly, for either openly criticizing Antifa tactics or filming their violence and vandalism, activists will distribute your picture and location with a warning to fellow comrades to be on the lookout,” he wrote.