Twitter bans account of former KKK leader David Duke

[August 01, 2020]    (Reuters) - Twitter Inc said on Friday it has permanently suspended the account of David Duke, a former leader of the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan, as the social media company tries to curb the spread of hateful content on its website.

Former leader of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke leaves the Louisiana Secretary of State's office after filing to run as a Republican for United States Senate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 22, 2016. REUTERS/Bryn Stole

Duke's account had been suspended for repeatedly violating Twitter's policy on hateful content and harmful links, the micro-blogging site said.

Under Twitter's hateful conduct policy, any threats of attacks directed at people on the basis of their religion, race or ethnicity is prohibited on its website.

Twitter has long been under pressure to clean up hateful content on its platform and has come under the scanner to control misinformation especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The KKK is the oldest white supremacist group in the United States and its roots trace back to the Reconstruction period in the South that followed the Civil War.

In addition to anti-Black views, the KKK has expressed anti-semitic, anti-immigrant and anti-gay views.

(Reporting by Neha Malara; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)

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