MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) A tweet by US President Donald Trump on Friday morning warning that soldiers may open fire if looting in the city of Minneapolis continues has been flagged by Twitter for breaching rules on glorifying violence, as riots rage on over the death of an African-American man in police custody this past week.
On Thursday evening, rioters in Minneapolis set fire to a police precinct amid a wave of public unrest after the death of George Floyd. On Tuesday, a video was posted online showing a police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck, while the latter was handcuffed and not resisting. During the video, Floyd can be heard telling the law enforcement officer that he could not breathe.
The Minnesota National Guard announced on Friday morning that more than 500 soldiers have been activated to respond to the riots, and Trump warned that troops could open fire if looting continues.
"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!," Trump wrote on Twitter.
This message was hidden and flagged by Twitter for violating the platform's terms of service. The tweet is now only available to see if a user explicitly clicks to view it.
"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," the social network wrote.
This is the second time in the space of the week that tweets by the US president have been flagged by Twitter for potentially breaching rules of service. On Tuesday, the social media platform flagged two of Trump's tweets on mail-in ballots for containing misleading information.
CEO Jack Dorsey later clarified that Twitter flagged Trump's comments as they may convince citizens that they do not need to register in order to vote. Trump slammed the social network for flagging his comments, alleging that Twitter was curbing free speech.
The dispute escalated further on Thursday afternoon after Trump signed an executive order that could place serious curbs on social media networks' ability to police online content. The president stated that the government will now work to enact legislation that will alter or repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides online platforms protection from civil liabilities for removing harmful or illegal content.
Representatives from Twitter and Facebook have both slammed Trump's executive order, saying that it could threaten the future of online speech and place users at risk of viewing harmful content.
