Kanye West locked out of Instagram and Twitter accounts following antisemitic posts
Kanye West’s Instagram and Twitter accounts were restricted over the weekend, and the social media platforms stated they removed the rapper’s posts after online users condemned them as antisemitic.
Ye had his Instagram suspended following a since-removed post in which he allegedly invoked antisemitic tropes, accusing a musician of being controlled by “the Jewish people.” After his Instagram was restricted, he took to Twitter, where he tweeted on Saturday for the first time in two years.
He marked his return with a photo of himself and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg singing karaoke, saying: “Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off Instagram [sic].” Ye then Tweeted: “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda [sic].”
Before the rapper’s Twitter account was also locked, Elon Musk, who has said he would buy Twitter and calls himself a free speech absolutist, had welcomed Ye’s return to the platform and replied to a post by the artist tweeting: “Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!”
Twitter locked his account Sunday after it removed one of Ye’s tweets saying he was going “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” because it violated the service’s policies against hate speech.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda [sic],” he tweeted on Saturday in a series of messages. The tweet has since been removed and Ye’s account has been locked.
“The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies,” a spokesperson for the platform told BuzzFeed News.
Instagram revealed on Saturday temporary restrictions on posting, commenting and messaging were imposed on Ye’s Instagram account. It comes following controversy at Paris Fashion Week after a “secret” catwalk event hosted by the rapper included a T-shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter.”
