Controversies never go too far from Kanye “Ye” West as social media platforms Instagram and Twitter both have suspended Ye’s accounts for violating their policies regarding hate speech.
In its statement, Twitter did not indicate which specific posts by West led to the decision to restrict his account.
The restriction comes after West took to Twitter after facing a similar restriction on Instagram. The musician shared two tweets that have largely been criticized as antisemitic.
West stated he couldn’t be antisemitic and claimed the Jewish people had “toyed” with him in the first tweet, which Twitter later removed for “violating the Twitter rules.”
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death [sic] con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West wrote in the now-deleted post. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also. You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
A second post, shared closely after the first, remains public on Twitter: “Who do you think created cancel culture?”
Who you think created cancel culture?
— ye (@kanyewest) October 9, 2022
A day earlier, a restriction was placed on West’s Instagram account after the platform deleted content from his account for a violation of its policies.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the decision, saying that interim bans on posting, commenting, and messaging are common procedure for accounts that repeatedly flout the rules of the social media network. The corporation made no mention of which particular posts were the reason for the ban.
West, who uses the handle @kanyewest on the platform, had shared a now-deleted post featuring a screenshot of a message, allegedly sent to rapper Diddy, that had been criticized as antisemitic by Jewish advocacy groups like the American Jewish Committee.
Representatives for West were not immediately available for comment.
After being banned from Instagram, West briefly returned to Twitter in the hours that followed, seemingly criticizing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for the move.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has been involved in legal proceedings about a prospective acquisition of Twitter, reacted by extending a warm welcome to West on the social media network.
Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2022
In addition, the rapper posted what appears to be a teaser for a presidential campaign in 2024, a notion with which he has previously toyed.
This is not the first time Kanye West has experienced Instagram limitations. The rapper was taken off the stage in March for a full day. In that event, content from West’s account was also deleted for breaking the rules against hate speech, bullying, and harassment.
West also generated controversy earlier this week when he appeared in his surprise Yeezy Season 9 fashion show in Paris while sporting a shirt that read “White Lives Matter.” On Thursday night, the rapper participated in an appearance on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to talk about the choice.
