Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Social Networks Twitter Your Rights Online

Twitter Suspends American Far-Right Activists' Accounts (theguardian.com) 978

Twitter has suspended the accounts of a number of American "alt-right" activists hours after announcing a renewed push to crack down on hate speech. From a report on The Guardian:Among the accounts removed were those of the self-described white-nationalist National Policy Institute, its magazine, Radix, and its head Richard Spencer, as well as other prominent alt-right figures including Pax Dickinson and Paul Town. Spencer, who according to anti-hate group SPLC "calls for 'peaceful ethnic cleansing' to halt the 'deconstruction' of European culture", decried the bans as "corporate Stalinism" to right-wing news outlet Daily Caller. "Twitter is trying to airbrush the alt right out of existence," Spencer said. "They're clearly afraid. They will fail!"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Twitter Suspends American Far-Right Activists' Accounts

Comments Filter:
  • Poor Nazis (Score:5, Funny)

    by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:26PM (#53297239) Journal

    It's so hard being a Nazi now a days, for some reason everyone seems to think your a vile repugnant monster.

    • Where are my mod points when I need them...

      I salute you sir.

    • by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:32PM (#53297323)

      It's so hard being a Nazi now a days, for some reason everyone seems to think your a vile repugnant monster.

      Everyone knows anti-Naziism is really just a conspiracy run by the hair transplant and wing industries. Twitter is secretly funded by Rogaine! #sethtescalpfree

    • Re:Poor Nazis (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:36PM (#53297353)

      It's so hard being a Nazi now a days, for some reason everyone seems to think your a vile repugnant monster.

      While the left openly make death threats, BLM supporters openly call for 'white genocide' and other supremacist movements like islam and zionism get a pass? They're all equally vile!

      • Re:Poor Nazis (Score:5, Interesting)

        by nickberry ( 1226494 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:35PM (#53298033)
        Or they allow trending topcis like Rape Melenia...
      • Re:Poor Nazis (Score:5, Insightful)

        by XXongo ( 3986865 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:51PM (#53298209) Homepage
        Citation needed.

        And to a reliable source, not some right-wing wacko conspiracy site.

      • by AK Marc ( 707885 )
        I've not seen what you claim. Do you have any evidence for that, or did you just grab it from some insane guy's blog?
    • by gnick ( 1211984 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:40PM (#53297373) Homepage

      The push to persecute Nazis is a conspiracy started by the Jews.

    • Re:Poor Nazis (Score:5, Insightful)

      by GLMDesigns ( 2044134 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:45PM (#53298153)
      And, what if they're not Nazi's? Alt-Right != Nazi.

      What is an alt-right? He's someone that took the left-wing-identity-politics and applies the principles to European history.

      Identity politics, cultural appropriation nonsense is stupid, inane and pathetic. It applies to all groups.

      The Alt-Right is an unintended consequence of the modern progressive's university curriculum.

      If the Alt-Right is racist then so are proponents of identity politics. Welcome to the world you created.

      I, for one, think that identity politics is racist. Now if identity politics is not racist then the Alt-Right is not racist.

      (This doesn't mean that there aren't Neo-Nazis and other out there. Only that the broad brush denunciation is inaccurate.

      Common guys. Appreciate the nuance of it all.
      • Re:Poor Nazis (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @03:32PM (#53298753)

        He's someone that took the left-wing-identity-politics and applies the principles to European history.

        Only in the loosest, and frankly most American of ways, but you are correct.

        The effect of sustained identity politics has driven a generation into a new kind of "white" identity, running against the course of individualisation of at least the last 50 years. In addition to the usual categorization of racial, sexual, and ethic groups, identity politics ranks groups by (lack of) privilege, and as far a this goes, "white" people who have the "most privilege" are constantly criticised -- and at this point it is fair to say -- demonized by the so called "social justice warriors" who comprise the loudest part of academia, and the greater part of the mainstream media.

        It's an insane situation which has been allowed to develop, but effectively identity politics has re-divided Americans by race and in particular appears to be provoking a reactionary response from the "white" population. It's worth noting that historically, this group was not so encompassing, and modern day "whites" were once rigidly socially stratified into separate racial and ethnic categories within the USA and other countries. It doesn't appear that identity politics has applied these historical norms, and so the class they have in effect created, or provoked into being created or in the process of creation, is arguably a much broader one than a European or world historian would recognise.

        I don't know whose bright idea it was to, in effect, "meme" a new kind of "white" mega-race into existence, but it's something profoundly unsettling to see forming in slow motion in response to the endless, overbearing, pontification from the media and academia on matters of race. I think that Dr. King would first be saddened, then appalled, and finally terrified by the new reality that identity politics has wrought on America. There doesn't seem to be any end in sight, and the media is just making things worse.

        What ever happened to the ideal of egalitarianism?

    • People make no attempt to find out what the new Nazis are about. They just cling to the same stereotypes that their grandfathers had about Nazis. It's the progressives that are actually intolerant.
  • by Colin Castro ( 2881349 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:28PM (#53297261)
    I've seen news articles about a lot of hate and violent threats towards Trump and others by people, but they aren't banned. Twitter really is as biased as I see in articles, even the ones posted to Slashdot.
    • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:30PM (#53297285)

      It's a private company and they can do as they wish. They don't need to explain their actions to you or anyone else.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        A private company in dire straights financially due to their disgusting fascist suppression and censorship. Good riddance to both them and individuals like yourself who use weaksauce excuses to turn a blind eye to it.

      • by penandpaper ( 2463226 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:40PM (#53297377) Journal

        Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a gay couple? They are both private companies, yet one gets to decide who uses their service based on political ideology.

        At least with Twitter it can be argued that it is a platform for speech and as such the law should reflect Twitters impact on political discourse and outcomes on elections. Just like a town-square you cannot be kicked out for racist speech and yes it doesn't mean you have to listen it (walk away or block people. the power is in the individual not the state). AT&T was determined critical and cannot limit its service on political ideology so there is legal precedent.

        Are platforms of speech critical to political discourse in the country and should they be protected? If not, then why is it different for a baker exercising their constitutionally protected religious belief with their private company?

        • by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:55PM (#53297515) Journal

          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a gay couple? They are both private companies, yet one gets to decide who uses their service based on political ideology.

          Nazis aren't a protected category. Also, being a Nazi is a choice.

        • by ClickOnThis ( 137803 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:04PM (#53297637) Journal

          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a gay couple?

          Let's just try an experiment:

          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a black couple?
          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a Hindu couple?
          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a Syrian couple?
          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a dwarf couple?
          Does that mean a baker doesn't have to bake a cake for a Republican couple?

          When the right to free speech conflicts with the right to equal protection, you have to decide which right wins. The correct decision is the latter.

      • by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:00PM (#53297575) Homepage Journal

        Being "private company" is, obviously, not enough of a defense, as Facebook just found out the hard way [slashdot.org], for example. Evidently, some violent hate-groups — such as BLM and the rest of the "anti-Trump" crowd — are more equal than others.

        Has Twitter banned any of accounts calling for an assassination of the President-elect [nypost.com]? For killing all White people? Obviously [twitter.com] not [twitter.com].

        But, hey, it is a private company... Maybe. A good illustration on why "hate speech" must remain legal — because any enforcer will be just as biased as Twitter is proving themselves to be.

    • by arth1 ( 260657 )

      Hating an individual is not a hate crime like hating entire groups for the color of their skin, who they love or how, or what their culture's top supernatural delusion is.

      If Trump feels there's a real threat, he's free to contact the authorities and Twitter. Groups don't have that ability, as no one speaks for all, and needs society to step in.

      And, of course, Twitter is in its full right to choose to be biased if they want to. That's a right that especially the right fights hard for, so I would think tha

    • Most of the "cool" tech companies seem to lean left so this isn't too surprising. Slashdot is also left-leaning. I'm not really a trump fan but I am tired of the constant barrage of leftist ideals. Based on the results of this recent election I'm far from the only one.
    • That *would* be better PR, to remove extremist accounts.

    • I've seen news articles about a lot of hate and violent threats towards Trump and others by people, but they aren't banned. Twitter really is as biased as I see in articles, even the ones posted to Slashdot.

      This is not a troll statement. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If you remove accounts for far right do the same for the opposite. Remove accounts for the Black Lives Matter group and all their vitriol they spew. Large sums of college students can clumped into this as well since they refuse to acknowledge anyone who may have a differing opinion to their own.

  • Irony (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:31PM (#53297297)

    One account suspended merely replaced the word "black" with "white" to show the double standard Twitter has with race. For instance, someone would tweet "Can't wait for white people to go extinct" and the account would replace white with black. The person using the "white" tweet was never suspended.

  • by frovingslosh ( 582462 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:32PM (#53297315)
    I don't understand. It is the left that is engaging in hate speech, and even physical violence. They are rioting, advocating the assassination of the President-elect, and denouncing democracy in this country. And they are blaming others for their own faults and criminal actions. Sounds like Twitter is going after the wrong people.
  • by sinij ( 911942 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:45PM (#53297421)
    Whatever you think of alt-right (hopefully, not too well), this move by Twitter establishes itself as an arbiter of norms and values.

    As a nation we value our freedom of speech. We tolerate even the likes of Westboro Church. We tolerate this because unless deplorable people have the right to speak freely, there could be no freedom of speech. It must be that absolute. Unfortunately, it was made clear that Twitter doesn't share our national values.
    • by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:54PM (#53297497) Journal

      That tolerance doesn't extend to private companies. You are free to disagree with a private organization, you are free to even refuse to deal with it, but they have a right to set the rules of remove anyone they don't feel they want.

      • by sinij ( 911942 )
        This is meaningless distinction. Discussions over Twitter are very much in a public space. Pretty much by definition.
        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward

          This is meaningless distinction.
          Maybe in your mind, but not in the mind of the courts. The first amendment is a limitation on the powers of government, not a limitation of what a private company can limit speech.

          And you're right, Twitter (as a company) DOESN'T share our national values on their platform. That's because they're a company, not a country or government. If someone came into your house, started yelling at you about white nationalism, you'd likely kick them out. Twitter has that same right.

          N

    • Indeed, when you silence an idea it only makes that idea grow and fester. The KKK has been religated to a few hundred die hard racists because everyone could see the stupidity for their own on display. But with actions we see from the left, like Twitter, you get people taking violent action to shut down peoples constitutional right to protest [latimes.com] which galvanize support and give them sympathy.

      Let the racists speak and their stupidity is on full display. Silence them with violence and no-platforming tactics cre

  • Peter Theil (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tekrat ( 242117 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:45PM (#53297425) Homepage Journal

    So, I see an echo chamber that the far right creates their OWN version of twitter, kind of like how the right created their own "news" organization.

    And so begins the true divide in the country, where the fox news people feed their own echo chamber via alt-twitter, and the liberals have msnbc and twitter.

    And the two sides never speak to each other.

  • Twitter is the confetti of the internet.

  • Ahh... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by argStyopa ( 232550 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @01:51PM (#53297475) Journal

    It's so charming to watch the Liberal Left endorse censorship without the slightest trace of irony.

    You guys really DON'T get it, do you? Or do you think the various actors and their sympathies today will /forever/ agree with your personal morality?

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:00PM (#53297581)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by Archangel Michael ( 180766 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:15PM (#53297777) Journal

    Streisand Effect is in full play now. People I've never heard about because they have already been mainly marginalized are not FRONT PAGE of Slashdot.

    Excellent work there.

  • misleading headline (Score:5, Informative)

    by tchdab1 ( 164848 ) on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @02:20PM (#53297851) Homepage

    Headline falsely implies that the accounts were deleted because they were alt-right or far-right, when they were deleted because they used hate speech. Not a bias in viewpoint, but a cap on hate speech.

Beware of Programmers who carry screwdrivers. -- Leonard Brandwein

Working...