Twitter removes thousands of tweets with poster for ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’

SHANNON LONGWORTH: TWITTER HAS SCRUBBED THOUSANDS OF TWEETS THAT INCLUDE A POSTER ABOUT A “TRANS DAY OF VENGEANCE.”

THE POSTER REFERRED TO AN EVENT PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, OUTSIDE THE US SUPREME COURT, TO “STOP TRANS GENOCIDE.”

ELLA IRWIN, TWITTER’S HEAD OF TRUST AND SAFETY, TWEETED ON WEDNESDAY THAT THE COMPANY HAD AUTOMATICALLY REMOVED MORE THAN 5,000 TWEETS AND RETWEETS OF THE POSTER.

SHE SAID, “WE DO NOT SUPPORT TWEETS THAT INCITE VIOLENCE IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO POSTS THEM. ‘VENGEANCE’ DOES NOT IMPLY PEACEFUL PROTEST. ORGANIZING OR SUPPORT FOR PEACEFUL PROTESTS IS OK.”

EARLIER THIS MONTH, TWITTER ADOPTED A NEW POLICY THAT PROHIBITS VIOLENT SPEECH ON THE SITE—THOUGH SIMILAR RULES *DID* EXIST BEFORE ELON MUSK BOUGHT THE COMPANY.

MANY OF THE TWEETS THAT WERE REMOVED WERE FROM CONSERVATIVES WHO WERE CONNECTING THE EVENT TO THE NASHVILLE SCHOOL SHOOTING, IN WHICH THE SHOOTER WAS TRANS. REPRESENTATIVE MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SAYS HER ACCOUNT WAS SUSPENDED FOR DOING JUST THAT.

MEANWHILE, TRANS ACTIVISTS AND SUPPORTERS ONLINE HAVE POINTED OUT THAT “TRANS DAY OF VENGEANCE” IS A LONGSTANDING JOKE OR MEME WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

THE GROUP ORGANIZING THE PROTEST—THE TRANS RADICAL ACTIVIST NETWORK—WROTE ON ITS WEBSITE: “THIS PROTEST IS ABOUT UNITY, NOT INCITING VIOLENCE. TRAN DOES NOT ENCOURAGE VIOLENCE AND IT IS NOT WELCOME AT THIS EVENT.”