Instagram and Twitter restrict Kanye West’s accounts after posts deemed anti-Semitic

Instagram and Twitter have imposed restrictions on the accounts of American rapper Kanye West, also known as “Ye”, after he posted statements denouncing them as anti-Semitic.

A Twitter spokeswoman told AFP on Sunday that her account had been suspended for violating the social network’s rules.

A spokeswoman for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, told AFP that the group had removed the content – without specifying which one – from Ye’s account for violating its rules.

Instagram has also restricted his account, which may include preventing him from posting, writing comments or sending private messages, according to the same source.

Kanye West, who is black, has caused a stir on social media since he wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt during Paris Fashion Week.

It is a diversion of the popular slogan Black Lives Matter (“Black Lives Matter”), a symbol of the anti-racism demonstrations of the summer of 2020 in the United States, and the focus of attention for the movement of the same name.

On Instagram, Yi, 45, posted screenshots of conversations with rapper Diddy on Friday, who criticized the T-shirt and its message.

Kanye West wrote, “I will use you as an example to show the Jews who have asked you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.” The post has been deleted, but copies are still visible online.

Then on Twitter, he said he intended to attack Jews in a post that is no longer available, with the social network citing a violation of its rules.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) accused Ye of promoting “Jew-hatred”.

“Kanye West should find a way to make his point without resorting to anti-Semitism,” she said.

Yi, who suffers from bipolar disorder, used to be a controversy and was previously banned from Instagram posts for 24 hours in March, amid a sharp divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian.

The rapper is also on the verge of breaking up with the Adidas brand, who wants to “re-evaluate” their collaboration with the artist.