With internet users denouncing the rapper’s posts as anti-Semitic, Kanye West’s Twitter and Instagram accounts have been blocked, according to the social media platforms.
He was first locked out of his Instagram by Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Friday after which he took to Twitter, where he tweeted on Saturday for the first time in two years.
Kanye’s first post on Twitter since 2020 was a blurry photo of the rapper and Meta Platforms founder Mark Zuckerberg singing karaoke. The tweet said: “Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off instagram.”
Kanye then tweeted: “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
That post, in which he said he wasn’t anti-Semitic, has been removed by Twitter due to a violation of its policies.
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His account was also locked, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed on Sunday.
The step by Twitter to lock the rapper’s account was noteworthy because billionaire Elon Musk, who has said he would buy Twitter and calls himself a free speech absolutist, had welcomed West’s return to the platform and replied to a post by the rapper tweeting: “Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!”
Kanye has also previously made erratic online posts. Earlier this year, he was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours after he directed racial slurs at comedian Trevor Noah.
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Before he took to Twitter early on Saturday, West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had his Instagram account suspended after a since-removed post in which he invoked anti-Semitic tropes, accusing a musician of being controlled by “the Jewish people”.
The company said on Saturday temporary restrictions on posting, commenting and messaging were imposed on West’s Instagram account.
With AAP. (Content has been tweaked for length and style.)
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.