Skip to main content

Twitter just suspended a number of accounts associated with the alt-right

vdovichenko/123RF
Twitter has suspended a number of accounts associated with the alt-right movement, including those belonging to verified users such as Richard B. Spencer.

The term “Alt-right” is used to define a loose set of groups and individuals who, in some cases, are openly racist and nativist, and who in other cases are willing to invite the charge of racism and nativism in connection with a provocative campaign of online trolling. Spencer, for example, has openly called for the removal of African-Americans, Hispanics, and Jews from the United States. However, there is a segment of the movement (which includes infamous internet troll Milo Yiannopoulos) that describes themselves as online pranksters “eager to commit secular heresies” and “challenge social norms.”

Recommended Videos

On Tuesday, Spencer — a verified Twitter user with a significant following — was banned from the platform. A number of accounts associated with Spencer, including that of his think tank, the National Policy Institute @npiamerica, and his online magazine @radixjournal have also been removed, notes USA Today. Paul Town, Pax Dickinson, Ricky Vaughn, and John Rivers have also reportedly been suspended.

“The Twitter Rules prohibit targeted abuse and harassment, and we will suspend accounts that violate this policy,” said the company in a statement.

Spencer addressed his removal from Twitter in a YouTube video: “I am alive, physically, but digitally speaking, there has been execution squads across the alt-right.” He continued: “It’s corporate Stalinism, in the sense that there is a great purge going on, and they’re purging people on the basis of their views.”

He also released a joint statement along with Jared Taylor, editor of the alt-right magazine American Renaissance, urging media outlets to condemn Twitter’s censorship of the accounts in question. “Several of the banned accounts were in no way guilty of trolling or “harassment,” so we can conclude only that the bans were politically motivated,” reads the statement.

Twitter’s crackdown comes in the wake of its announcement that it is actively battling harassment on its site. Beyond its provision of new tools to its users (allowing them to block and report abusive tweets) the company is also educating its staff through “special sessions on cultural and historical contextualization of hateful conduct.”

Twitter said the following in a post announcing the changes: “Because Twitter happens in public and in real-time, we’ve had some challenges keeping up with and curbing abusive conduct … We took a step back to reset and take a new approach, find and focus on the most critical needs and rapidly improve.”

The latest round of suspensions recalls Twitter’s removal of selected accounts in July, after the harassment directed toward Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones. One of the users targeted at the time was Yiannopoulos, who was subsequently banned from the platform.

In September, George Washington University released a study claiming white nationalists and self-proclaimed Nazi sympathizers had amassed large followings on Twitter. Among the biggest talking points for these groups was the concept of “white genocide” and the view that “white race” is endangered by the increasing diversity of society.

However, the study noted that Twitter would have a hard time applying its policy regulations regarding hateful conduct to these accounts due to their fragmented nature. It also noted that they present free speech complications, an argument currently being echoed by a number of Twitter users.

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Read more
What is Mastodon? Here’s why everyone’s talking about this Twitter alternative
Series of four mobile screenshots showing Mastodon's sign-up process.

By now you've no doubt heard about Mastodon. It's a social media platform that's been bandied about as an alternative to Twitter, particularly among users who aren't comfortable with the direction Twitter is going in now that Elon Musk is at the helm.

In fact, since Musk first announced that he was planning on buying the popular microblogging platform, Mastodon has garnered quite a bit of attention and experienced significant growth. But though you've likely heard about Mastodon, you may not be familiar with how it works or haven't decided whether or not it would be a good fit for you if you ever choose to leave Twitter and need an alternative social media platform. Don't worry. We've got you covered. In this guide, we'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about social media's buzziest new platform.
What is Mastodon?

Read more
Twitter’s SMS two-factor authentication is having issues. Here’s how to switch methods
A person's hands holding a smartphone as they browse Twitter on it.

It might be a good idea to review and change your two-factor authentication options for Twitter. Elon Musk's Twitter has another issue for its users to worry about.

Twitter has reportedly been having issues with its SMS two-factor authentication feature (2FA). According to Wired, beginning as early as this past weekend, some Twitter users have reported difficulties logging in to their Twitter accounts due to the app's SMS 2FA feature not working properly. Essentially, the feature relies on the app sending users an authentication code via text message, which they can then enter as a second step in the login process.

Read more