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 parent company Meta Platforms kicked him off of Instagram, after which he turned to Twitter, where he tweeted for the first time in two years on Saturday.
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 tweeted, “You have messed with me and attempted to blackball everyone who 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’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, 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 towards comedian Trevor Noah.
West, whose legal name has been changed 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 controlled by “the Jewish people”.
The firm announced on Saturday that temporary posting, commenting, and messaging limits have been placed on West’s Instagram account.