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Wiley: Anti-Semitism Row Prompts 48-hour Twitter Boycott

Posted on the 27 July 2020 by Thiruvenkatam Chinnagounder @tipsclear

Wiley: Anti-Semitism row prompts 48-hour Twitter boycott

Wiley: Anti-Semitism row prompts 48-hour Twitter boycott

A 48-hour boycott of Twitter by some of its users has begun to protest the alleged lack of action against anti-Semitism by the platform.

It was triggered by the actions of musical artist Grime Wiley, who shared several Twitter posts on Friday.

Some of the tweets have been deleted, but Twitter has been criticized for taking the time to act and leaving some tweets.

Dozens of celebrities are joining the two-day "walkout", using the hashtag #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate.

The police are now investigating Wiley's tweets and the so-called "filth godfather" has been temporarily banned from Twitter and Instagram.

But many who took part in the boycott accused Twitter of "breaking their policies" in connection with the removal of hate speech.

Police said on Monday that "investigations remain ongoing".

Who is boycotting?

Actress and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is one of the leaders of the movement, tweeted Saturday that Twitter had "allowed [Wiley] 48 hours of pure breed hatred. "

He said Twitter founder Jack Dorsey "must stay [Twitter's] anti-racism mandate. Silence is complicity. Please, go out with us. "

The rallying cry was picked up by a different section of Twitter users, including TV host Rachel Riley; comedian Robert Webb; the singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor; the actor Jason Isaacs; radio presenter and activist Maajid Nawaz; businessman Lord Sugar and chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

A myriad of MPs from different sides also said they would take part - including Rosena Allin-Khan and David Lammy of Labor, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, Dem Dem leader and Ed Davey, and conservative MP. Jane Stevenson.

Participants promised not to tweet - or not to use Twitter at all - from Monday morning to Wednesday morning, reflecting the 48 hours of inaction they accuse Twitter.

Some organizations also participate, including the Music Producers Guild, the Jewish Chronicle newspaper and the American Jewish Committee.

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Karen Pollock, CEO of the UK's Holocaust Educational Trust, tweeted her organization's support for the transfer, writing that Twitter can be "offensive, distressing and so draining."

He added: "The time has come for social media companies to Twitter [and] Instagram lives up to the values ​​their users expect. "

Twitter said: "Abuse and harassment have no place on Twitter and we strongly condemn it." The company highlighted its policies that prohibit the promotion of violence against people based on religion, race or ethnicity.

"We enforce our rules judiciously and impartially for everyone and act if an account violates our rules," he said.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, meanwhile, wrote a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, saying "social media companies have a responsibility to act and must do so without delay".

"This cannot be left standing. Your inaction equals complicity."

What happened to Wiley?

During his tweet session, Wiley referred to conspiracy theories about the Jewish people and other offensive material.

Many have now been replaced with the notification that tweets are no longer available because they violated Twitter rules.

However, they had already attracted the attention of numerous public figures and the police.

On Saturday, London Metropolitan Police in Tower Hamlets tweeted that they had received "a series of reports" on anti-Semitic tweets and that "the relevant material is being evaluated".

Priti Patel, UK secretary, said she asked Twitter and Instagram for a full explanation, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to companies, criticizing their reaction.

Wiley's management also left the artist over the weekend, saying "There is no place in society for anti-Semitism."

The 41-year-old artist, whose real name is Richard Cowie, is a leading figure in dirty music, and was named MBE in 2018 for music services.

The row of anti-Semitism has also led to the revocation of this honor.


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