Twitter User Says Dana Loesch's Kids Need to be 'Murdered,' Social Giant Says 'No Violation'
Advocating murder has become an acceptable form of speech, Twitter has ruled — at least when the target of invective is the family of National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch.
On Sunday, a Twitter user responded to Loesch as she was trying to discuss the Florida shooting online with other Twitter users.
“The only way these people learn is if it affects them directly. So if Dana Loesch has to have her children murdered before she’ll understand, I guess that’s what needs to happen,” Loesch posted in a screenshot of the comment she received.
At a time when Twitter and other social media giants have been tightening the screws on what they allow from websites such as Infowars, Loesch appealed to Twitter for a ruling to punish the user.
Twitter initially sided with Loesch’s critic.
“We have reviewed your report carefully and found that there was no violation of the Twitter Rules against abusive behavior,” it wrote, according to the screenshot Loesch posted.
Loesch then drew the only possible conclusion: Fair is only fair when the threats align with Twitter’s politics.
Apparently this doesn’t violate @TwitterSupport TOS. I know several conservatives who have been suspended for far less. cc @jack pic.twitter.com/xwKVFxtx8x
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 27, 2018
The tweet that contained the implied threat was later taken down, although the account of the individual who posted it remains active, Law and Crime reported.
“You may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people.” – https://t.co/210yIT9cvV
They CLEARLY violated the rules.— Ivan Jarden (@ivesjar) August 27, 2018
Twitter’s decision was attacked by writer Jazz Shaw on HotAir, who drew together many of the comments made on Twitter about the incident.
https://twitter.com/colovion/status/1034072468036755456
Please allow @jack to testify before Congress about this Tweeted Threat to Dana Loesch! @Jim_Jordan @DevinNunes @RepDeSantis @realDonaldTrump @TGowdySC https://t.co/d88RXXihBQ
— #HoldTheFBIAccountable (@doccigar) August 27, 2018
As insults against Loesch poured in, others demanded action.
Jack Dorsey, here’s another threat against Mrs. Loesch. What action will you take regarding this vile tweeter? https://t.co/j8UtWB9v9e
— Ruth (@HoosierRuth) August 27, 2018
Shaw said that kind of action is not in Twitter’s playbook.
“Jack Dorsey continues to talk a good game, bashfully admitting the inherent leftward views of his entire company while feigning shock and disappointment that anyone would think even for a moment that he would let those biases show up in their content suppression policies,” Shaw wrote. “This is one more example which puts the lie to these company pronouncements.”
Update: The Daily Caller reported Monday afternoon that Twitter has changed course and suspended the account of the person who talked about Loesch’s children being killed.
“We have re-reviewed the account you reported and have locked it because we found it to be in violation of the Twitter Rules,” Twitter wrote in an email to Dana’s husband Chris Loesch, who initially reported the threat against the couple’s children. “If the account owner complies with our requested actions and stated policies, the account will be unlocked.”
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