Twitter Suspends Bannon Account, YouTube Removes Fauci Video
Twitter Inc. permanently suspended an account of Steve Bannon, while Google’s YouTube removed one of his videos.
(Bloomberg) -- Twitter Inc. permanently suspended an account of Steve Bannon, while Google’s YouTube removed one of his videos after the former White House strategist on Thursday advocated violence against U.S. officials.
Bannon, in an episode of his online show “War Room Pandemic,” had earlier called for the heads of Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to be mounted on pikes at the White House.
A Twitter spokesman said Bannon’s @warroompandemic was permanently suspended for violating the platform’s rules, “specifically our policy on the glorification of violence.” Such policies require enforcement action against clear threats of violence, abuse, harassment and hateful content, a spokesman said.
Google’s YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc., removed the offending video and said it’s suspending his account for “at least a week.”
“We’ve removed this video for violating our policy against inciting violence,” said Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesperson. “We will continue to be vigilant as we enforce our policies in the post-election period.”
On the episode, Bannon called for a public firing of Fauci and Wray. “I actually want to go a step farther,” he went on to say. “I’d put the heads on pikes .... as a warning to federal bureaucrats.”
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