The social network Twitter has warned for the first time a message from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in which he describes as “thugs” the protesters who for the last three days have taken to the streets of Minneapolis, the capital of the state of Minnesota, to protest the death of black citizen George Floyd in police custody.
The protests have recorded looting episodes in various shopping centers in the city to the point that state authorities have activated the emergency protocol, including an authorization for the National Guard to assist the authorities in the “restoration of security and calm due to civil unrest. “
Shortly after, Trump has jumped to social networks to condemn the actions of the protesters with a message published on his Twitter account. “These thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd and I’m not going to let that happen. I just spoke to (state) Governor Tim Walz and told him the Army is with him to the end. We will take over if they start the difficulties but when the looting begins, the shooting begins. Thank you! “he wrote.
Twitter’s warning has consisted of hiding this message from users, who can still access it after accepting the warning from the social network: “This tweet violated Twitter’s Rules regarding glorifying violence. However, Twitter determined it may be in the public interest that such a tweet remains accessible. “
It is the first time that Twitter has designated a message from the president in this way in the same week that the company also qualified another message from the president for misinforming about voting by mail in the United States.
Trump’s response to this qualification was immediate. After accusing the company of restricting freedom of expression and ensuring that if it were up to him, he would close Twitter if it were not for the legal difficulties that this entails, he ended up signing an executive order Thursday to facilitate the citizen demand against social networks.
After learning of the warning, Trump has again released his anger against the platform. “They are doing absolutely nothing about the lies and propaganda being carried out by China or the Radical Left Democratic Party,” Trump has written in a new message.
Likewise, Trump accuses Twitter of launching a campaign against “Republicans, conservatives” and himself as President of the United States, before recalling his new executive order, signed this Thursday, to allow the admission of lawsuits against social networks.
The president of the United States has finally asked Congress to revoke section 230 of the Communications law that protected social networks from this kind of judicial activity. Trump has previously indicated that he could not revoke it due to legal impossibility, but in this Friday’s message he has assured that “it will be regulated.”
