Civil rights leaders condemn Musk resolution to carry Trump Twitter ban

Civil rights leaders swiftly condemned Twitter proprietor Elon Musk’s resolution to carry former U.S. President Donald Trump’s ban from the platform, accusing the Tesla and SpaceX CEO of breaking commitments he gave them simply weeks earlier when he first took over the platform.

“In Elon Musk’s Twittersphere, you’ll be able to incite an riot on the U.S. Capitol, which led to the deaths of a number of individuals, and nonetheless be allowed to spew hate speech and violent conspiracies on his platform,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson mentioned in a press release. “Any advertiser nonetheless funding Twitter ought to instantly pause all promoting. If Elon Musk continues to run Twitter like this, utilizing rubbish polls that don’t symbolize the American individuals and the wants of our democracy, God assist us all.”

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four hours in the past

Musk allowed Trump again on the platform Saturday after conducting a ballot on Twitter asking customers whether or not he ought to. Trump was completely expelled from Twitter below its earlier administration within the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers labored to certify President Joe Biden’s election victory. Twitter management on the time feared Trump’s continued presence on the platform may result in additional incitement of violence as he continued to falsely declare the election was stolen from him.

Musk’s use of the Twitter ballot to find out Trump’s destiny on the platform stunned many customers, for the reason that billionaire had mentioned simply weeks earlier that he would kind a content material moderation council to make main coverage selections and resolve whether or not to reinstate banned accounts.

Earlier this month, Musk had a name with civil rights leaders from teams together with the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Free Press and Shade of Change to debate considerations over content material moderation on the platform. Musk had additionally been working to reassure advertisers that the platform wouldn’t change into a “free-for-all-hellscape.”

However shortly after the assembly with civil rights leaders, a few of those self same teams known as for advertisers to halt spending on Twitter, saying mass layoffs on the platform betrayed Musk’s commitments to creating the platform secure for customers.

After Musk’s resolution to permit Trump to return, a lot of these teams doubled down on their calls.

“Except and till Musk could be trusted to implement Twitter’s prior group requirements, the platform just isn’t secure for customers or advertisers,” the #StopToxicTwitter coalition led by Accountable Tech, Free Press and Media Issues for America mentioned in a press release. “For these nonetheless promoting on Twitter proper now: know that you’re contributing on to an erratic billionaire’s decimation of Twitter and its fast devolution into utter chaos.”  

“In lower than three weeks Musk has gone again on each promise he made to civil-rights leaders and advertisers,” Free Press co-CEO Jessica J. González mentioned in a press release. “Musk both modified his thoughts or lied to civil-rights leaders and advertisers. Both method, Musk has confirmed himself to not be a person of his phrase.”

Twitter and Musk didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

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