Elon Musk reinstates Kanye West’s Twitter account eight months after ban
Social media platform rebranded as X lifts ban on rapper-producer imposed after swastika tweet
Kanye West’s account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been reinstated almost eight months after he tweeted an image of a swastika blended with a star of David.
The rapper-producer and designer, legally known as Ye, embarked on a series of antisemitic rants on social media and during interviews towards the end of last year. In October, he tweeted that he would go “death con 3” on Jewish people. His account was subsequently locked but he was soon readmitted.
Less than a fortnight after he returned to the platform, he praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis before posting the swastika image. This prompted a formal suspension meted out by the Twitter owner, Elon Musk, which has now been lifted.
Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, tweeted at the time: “I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing X, that Ye would not be able to monetise his account – a function introduced earlier this year by which people can subscribe to certain accounts whose profiles otherwise remain private.
Ye’s account was reinstated after X reportedly received assurances that he would not exploit the platform by sharing antisemitic or harmful comments. In March, Ye said he “likes Jewish people again” after watching Jonah Hill in the movie 21 Jump Street.
As of Sunday morning, he had not tweeted since before the suspension. In one of his last posts, on 1 December, the day before losing access to his account, he said: “Cancel cancel culture.”
Ye, who has won two dozen Grammy awards and first gained popular acclaim with his celebrated debut album The College Dropout, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder several years ago and has spoken publicly about his mental health challenges.
He deactivated his Instagram account earlier this year after two high-profile suspensions. He lost his partnership with Adidas and Gap for Yeezy products amid the uproar over his incendiary comments.
On Friday, X placed a lighted sign of its new, “interim” single-lettered name on the roof of its San Francisco headquarters.
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