Kanye West’s Twitter account has been suspended, Elon Musk says it violated rule against incitement to violence
Dec 4, 2022, 10:53 AM | Updated: 11:07 am
Rapper Kanye West attends the 2006 Cipriani / Deutsche Bank Concert Series where he will perform at Cipriani's Wall Street on June 22, 2006 in New York City. (Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
(Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
(CNN) — Kanye West’s Twitter account was suspended early Friday morning after Elon Musk said it violated the platform’s rules on inciting violence.
“I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended,” Musk tweeted in a reply.
CNN could not confirm which specific tweet prompted West’s suspension. However, earlier in the evening, West — who has legally changed his name to Ye — tweeted an altered image of the Star of David with a swastika inside.
Jesus taught love, kindness and forgiveness.
I used to think that turning the other cheek was weak & foolish, but I was the fool for not appreciating its profound wisdom.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 1, 2022
The tweet follows a series of antisemitic comments made by West in recent months, which have destroyed business deals in which the musician was involved — such as a partnership with Adidas.
In late October, West addressed the antisemitic comments — as well as what he’s said about George Floyd’s death and Black Lives Matter — in a rambling 16-minute video shared by WmgLab Records on YouTube and seemingly recorded at some point after Adidas ended its business relationship with him.
In the video, West did not apologize for his antisemitic remarks but seemed to try to distance himself from any “hate group.”
“I have no association to any hate group,” West said as he closed his remarks in prayer. “If any hate happens upon any Jewish person, it is not associated (gestures to himself) because I am demanding that everyone walk in love.”
CNN has previously reported that several people who were once close to West said that he has long been fascinated by Adolf Hitler — and once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader. A business executive who worked for West told CNN that the artist created a hostile work environment, in part through his “obsession” with Hitler.
This is not the first time West has run afoul of Twitter. In October, before Musk completed the deal to buy the social media platform, Twitter locked West’s account over an antisemitic tweet.
– CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe, Chloe Melas and Dan Heching contributed to this report
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