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Why Twitter Censored President Trump's Tweet About The Minneapolis Riots

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 29, 2020 7:05 AM

As we all were last night, President Trump was watching Minneapolis descend into total anarchy. Our own Julio Rosas is there documenting the insanity. The looting has not subsided. The violence intensified. And it culminated in the police headquarters in the city’s third precinct being evacuated, overrun by rioters, and then set ablaze. Police and firefighters were reportedly given orders to stand down. It was chaos. 

The second night of protests was sparked due to the horrific death of George Floyd, who died in police custody. It’s all on video. Floyd, arrested for a false document charge, is seen pleading with officers that he couldn’t breathe. That’s because one officer put his knee on his neck and kept it there for nearly ten minutes. Floyd died as a result. All four officers were fired, and the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating this tragic incident as well for civil rights violations. It’s considered a top priority. Yet, Minneapolis is a warzone. Rosas has documented many protests, some with very hostile crowds, and he said last night that he’d never seen anything like what he was experiencing in Mill City. 

During the rioting, the president said this on Twitter:

I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.

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!

Yeah, want to guess why the social media company censored the latter tweet? 

"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," it reads. 

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The people who are rioting are not there for justice or to support getting justice for Floyd. They’re thugs that are destroying these communities before our eyes. There were fires everywhere last night. Maybe a bit far with the shootings comment, but Trump is president and we have a First Amendment. Also, is the remark "glorifying" or saying what actually happens when looting begins in any situation where riots erupt? It's a bit nit-picky. Yes, Twitter is a private company, though one could easily argue that it’s one that really serves a public utility. I don’t know. If there was something that truly violated the terms of service, maybe I wouldn’t raise my eyebrows here. This isn’t it. And all this did, as Minneapolis burns, is rehash concerns from conservatives that Twitter and the rest of the lefty social media enterprise, is biased and selectively enforces their service rules.