Laura Loomer banned from Twitter after criticizing Ilhan Omar
Laura Loomer banned from Twitter after criticizing Ilhan Omar
The far-right activist had more than 260,000 followers on the platform before her suspension.
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Michael Avenatti and Laura Loomer at an event in Los Angeles on Oct. 20.Phillip Faraone / Getty Images for Politicon file
Nov. 22, 2018 / 8:01 AM EST / Updated 8:10 AM EST
By Linda Givetash
Far-right activist Laura Loomer became the latest conservative figure to be kicked off Twitter when her account was shut down Wednesday.
Loomer said she was told by the platform that her account violated its rules against hateful conduct after she sent a tweet criticizing Minnesota Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and her Muslim faith.
https://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newsc...5.fit-760w.jpgRep.-elect Ilhan Omar.Emilie Richardson / Bloomberg via Getty Images, file"I've been silenced in America," Loomer said in a video posted to YouTube in response to the Twitter ban. She had more than 260,000 followers on the social-media platform before her suspension.
In the tweet in question, Loomer called Omar "anti Jewish" and said she is a member of a religion in which "homosexuals are oppressed" and "women are abused" and "forced to wear the hijab." Omar is the first Somali refugee and among two of the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.
Loomer insisted that she did not violate Twitter's terms. "Everything I said is 100 percent true and factual. It's not malicious, it's not mean, it's not hateful," she said.
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Twitter has taken aim at far-right activists and groups in recent months, banning conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and website Infowars in September.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the former Breitbart editor who was banned from Twitter two years ago, called the suspension against Loomer "political warfare."
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"She was banned for criticizing an elected politician," he said on Facebook.
Twitter did not immediately comment on its decision to ban Loomer.
On its website, Twitter says it is dedicated to making the platform "a safe place for free expression" and prohibits "abusive behavior."
Loomer was last year blocked from using ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft after she posted a series of anti-Muslim tweets in response to a terrorist attack in New York.
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Loomer, who touts herself as an investigative journalist, said her Twitter suspension is a threat to the First Amendment.
In Wednesday's YouTube video, she pleaded to President Donald Trump to take action.
"If you want to win in 2020 you have to ensure your supporters have a voice on social media," Loomer said.
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