Monday, January 18, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican QAnon supporter, suspended from Twitter

Freshman Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been suspended from Twitter, the platform says.
© (Photo by Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wears a "Trump Won" face mask as she arrives on the floor of the House to take the oath office on the year's opening session on January 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. Both chambers are holding rare Sunday sessions to open the new Congress as the Constitution requires.

Hannah Jackson and Emerald Bensadoun 

In an email to Global News, a Twitter spokesperson said the account was "temporarily locked out for multiple violations of our civic integrity policy."

According to Twitter's civic integrity policy, this includes "manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes."

Read more: Republican QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene wins Georgia house seat

It also includes "posting or sharing content that may suppress participation or mislead people about when, where, or how to participate in a civic process," Twitter's policy states.


Trump’s Twitter account suspended ‘permanently’



A source familiar with Twitter's policies said Greene's account will be locked for 12 hours.

Greene won her seat in the November 2020 election after her Democratic challenger Kevin Van Ausdal suddenly dropped out of the race, saying he was moving out of state.

She received praise from Trump on the campaign trail, who called her a “future Republican Star.”

"Twitter, Facebook Trump ban raises censorship concerns"

Greene is a businesswoman and political newcomer who’s gained large followings on social media in part by posting incendiary videos and comments.

She has expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories in a series of online videos.

Earlier this month, Twitter moved to permanently ban outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump from the platform.

Read more: Twitter permanently suspends Trump as supporters face social media purge

The social media giant attributed his account's permanent suspension to the president's comments following the storming of the U.S. Capitol, in which supporters of Trump led a violent riot in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying President-Elect Joe Biden's election win.

Five people died as a result of the riot, including a U.S. Capitol officer.

"Given the violent events in Washington, DC, and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon," Twitter said in an online statement released Tuesday.

-- With files from The Associated Press

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