The Twitter accounts of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s re-election campaign and other conservatives have been temporarily blocked for posting a video of protesters outside the senator’s home in Louisville, Kentucky, that reportedly violates the company’s “policy regarding violent threats.”
“This morning, Twitter banned our account for posting a recording of real, violent threats against Mitch McConnell,” McConnell’s campaign manager Kevin Golden said in a statement. “This is the problem with speech policing in America today.”
McConnell, 77, has been resting at home since he tripped on his patio. shoulder fracture on Sunday — and the Team Mitch account posted photos of him at his home. In the wake of this weekend’s deadly shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the hashtag “Massacre Mitch” has trended on Twitter — and some activists have taken their case to McConnell’s home.
In a live-streamed video from the protest, Black Lives Matter Louisville leader Chanelle Helm, standing with other protesters outside McConnell’s home, said he “should have broken his little wrinkly (expletive) neck” instead of breaking his arm.
“Just stab that son of a bitch in the heart,” Helm said after a protester mentioned McConnell’s voodoo doll. (The news)
“The Lexington-Herald can attack Mitch with cartoon tombstones of his opponents. But we can’t make fun of it,” Golden added. “Twitter will allow the words ‘Massacre Mitch’ to become a national trend on their platform. But they will ban our account for posting real threats against us. We appealed, and Twitter upheld the decision, saying our account will remain banned until we remove the video.”
The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra’s account was also suspended for posting the video.
“By suspending McConnell’s reelection campaign for exposing the aggressive rhetoric directed at McConnell that was allowed on Twitter for days, Twitter is interfering in the 2020 election in a way that helps Democrats and hurts Republicans,” he said. “By suspending me for speaking the truth, Twitter is making clear that it seeks to control the news media and only allows content on its platform that does not expose the evil, projection, and hypocrisy of the political left.”
He added: “Don’t be surprised if I get permanently banned.”
By suspending McConnell’s re-election campaign for exposing the aggressive rhetoric directed at McConnell that was allowed on Twitter for days, Twitter is interfering in the 2020 election in a way that helps Democrats and hurts Republicans.
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 7, 2019
By suspending my account for speaking the truth, Twitter is making it clear that it wants to control the news media and only allows content to be published on its platform that does not expose the evil, projection, and hypocrisy of the political left.
Don’t be surprised if I get permanently banned.
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 7, 2019
Capitol Hill Communications Director Ben Goldey, whose account was also suspended, noted that Joaquin Castro’s account remained dynamic even after it tweeted the names of Trump donors and their employers.
My account was temporarily suspended after posting a video of far-left activists chanting death threats against Senator McConnell. photo: twitter.com/d9vW0Jy5YY
— Ben Goldey (@BenGoldey) August 7, 2019
Saavedra also noted other instances of Twitter unfairly applying its “rules.”
Peter Fonda Calls on Women in Trump Administration to Strip Naked and Physically Beat Them Up
He called on Trump administration officials to take their children away from them and throw them into cages with pedophiles.
Twitter allowed him to keep his account verified https://t.co/Zww5HmvDUt
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 7, 2019
