Twitter and Instagram suspends Ye's account over alleged anti-Semitic posts

Kanye West's Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended over the weekend, with the social media platforms stating that they had removed the rapper's anti-Semitic messages.

On Friday, Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms Inc locked him out of his Instagram account, and on Saturday, he tweeted for the first time in two years.

West's first tweet since 2020 was a fuzzy shot of the rapper and Mark Zuckerberg singing karaoke. The message read: "Consider this Mark How are you going to ban me from Instagram?"

Then, West wrote, "You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda." Twitter has removed the tweet in which he claimed he was not anti-Semitic owing to a violation of company principles. A Twitter representative verified Sunday that his account was likewise locked.

Twitter Inc.'s decision to restrict the rapper's account was notable because billionaire Elon Musk, who has claimed he would purchase Twitter and describes himself as a free speech absolutist, had greeted West's return to the network by tweeting, "Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!"

West has also made irregular online posts in the past. In January of this year, he was banned from Instagram for 24 hours for using racial slurs toward comedian Trevor Noah.

West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had his Instagram account stopped after a since-removed post in which he evoked anti-Semitic tropes and accused a singer of being under the authority of "the Jewish people."

The firm announced on Saturday that temporary posting, commenting, and messaging limits have been placed on West's Instagram account.