By Aaron Miller-
Kanye West(pictured)has been suspended from Twitter and accused of “inciting violence” over offensive tweets – just two months after his last ban.
The US rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, was suspended after posting a series of erratic tweets – one of which appeared to show a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish star.
Twitter’s new boss Elon Musk was asked by one user to “fix Kanye”.
West had “violated our rule against incitement to violence”, Musk tweeted.
“Account will be suspended,” Musk wrote in a Twitter post.
The suspension took place hours after Ye praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in an interview on InfoWars, a show hosted by the rightwing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Ye was one of several high-profile Twitter users whose accounts were banned or restricted on the site who then had them reinstated after Elon Musk took over as owner.
Ye’s account was unlocked on 21 November, having previously been restricted for tweeting an antisemitic message.
Musk tweeted: “I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.”
West added fuel to the fire on Thursday during an interview with US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
With his face covered in a mask, West praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and ranted about sin, pornography and the devil.
In recent months West has caused controversy with a series of antisemitic and racist remarks – leading to clothing giant Adidas cutting ties with the rapper.
West was initially locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts after posting antisemitic messages in October.
West accused rapper Diddy of being controlled by Jewish people – saying the star had violated policies on hate speech.
The Anti-Defamation League branded West’s phrase “hate speech”, and attributed it to white supremacists, who began using it in 2015 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Earlier this year, West was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours in March after using a racial slur in reference to comedian Trevor Noah.
In 2018, singer William led a backlash against West after he claimed the enslavement of African-Americans over centuries may have been a “choice” – remarks he later tried to clarify.
His latest Twitter ban comes hours after the right-wing social media platform Parler – which styles itself as a “free speech” alternative to mainstream platforms – said West could no longer buy the firm.
In a statement, Parliament Technologies said: “The company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale.”
The firm – which runs the much smaller platform, popular with conservatives and the far right – said the decision was made in mid-November.
“Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community,” the firm said in its statement.
Musk took control over Twitter in October and immediately embarked on a series of radical changes within the social media giant – including lifting the bans on controversial accounts.
He has clarified that he had no role in bringing West back on Twitter, saying the account was restored before he acquired the social media platform.
West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago and has publicly spoken about his challenges with his mental health.
However, medical experts and people who share West’s condition have warned that mental health problems do not go hand-in-hand with antisemitism.
Truth Social
The rapper then began posting on Truth Social, the social media platform started by Trump, sharing text messages purportedly from Musk, in which the billionaire appeared to attempt to reason with him about the tweet.
“Sorry, but you have gone too far. This is not love,” Musk wrote.
“Who made you the judge,” Ye replied. He then shared a screenshot of his Twitter account showing he had been banned from tweeting for 12 hours for violating the platform’s rules.
Shielded behind a face mask, Ye appeared alongside the white supremacist Nick Fuentes on InfoWars in an episode posted online on Thursday.
Norm Coleman and Matt Brooks, leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition, condemned Ye’s comments, saying: “Given his praise of Hitler, it can’t be overstated that Kanye West is a vile, repellent bigot who has targeted the Jewish community with threats and Nazi-style defamation. Conservatives who have mistakenly indulged Kanye West must make it clear that he is a pariah. Enough is enough.”