Social media platform Twitter has temporarily suspended the account of US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for repeatedly violating its new rules.
A Twitter spokesperson said that the account of Marjorie Taylor Greene, US Representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district, was temporarily suspended for repeated violations of rules implemented following the Capitol riots.
Violations and suspension
The Georgia representative will be unable to access her account for 12 hours following the suspension. The Twitter spokesperson explained: "The account referenced has been temporarily locked out for multiple violations of our civic integrity policy."
Rep. Greene's account was suspended after she tweeted a conspiracy-laden thread about the Georgia Senate elections earlier on Sunday. Some of her tweets received warning labels on the platform, which read: "This claim about election fraud is disputed, and this Tweet can't be replied to, Retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence."
The Georgia Republican is known for her incendiary rhetoric and links to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
In response to her suspension, Greene called on the US Congress to "act swiftly" to "protect free speech in America."
She said: "Conservative Americans shouldn't be afraid to speak their mind. They shouldn't have to fear being cancelled by American corporations where they work, do business, and use services."
"They shouldn't be scared into submission by Socialists who want to end their way of life," Greene added.
Capitol riots and Trump's permanent ban
The Georgia representative's suspension is part of Twitter's crackdown on misinformation following the riots at the US Capitol that resulted in five deaths. Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump received a permanent suspension from the platform.
At the time, Twitter explained: "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence."
"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action," the firm added.
Initially, Twitter gave Trump a temporary suspension after he repeatedly made false claims of election fraud, as well as posting a video message saying "I love you" to supporters attacking the US Capitol and calling them "patriots".
According to Twitter, it removed three tweets from Trump for "severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy" and said the president’s account would be permanently locked if the tweets were not removed.
The social media company continued: "Future violations of the Twitter Rules… will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account". Trump’s account then stated that those tweets are "no longer available because [they] violated" Twitter’s rules.
Twitter explained: "We have been significantly restricting engagement with Tweets labeled under our Civic Integrity Policy due to the risk of violence."
The firm's chief executive officer (CEO) Jack Dorsey said that the permanent ban on Trump was the right thing to do.
While Jack Dorsey justified the decision to ban Trump from Twitter, he expressed sadness over it, saying there were "extraordinary and untenable circumstances" surrounding the permanent suspension.
He also admitted that the ban was partly due to Twitter’s failure to do enough to foster "healthy conversation" across its platforms. The decision has garnered both praise and criticism.
