Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones and his ‘Infowars’ show
Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his “Infowars†show for abusive behavior.
Twitter Inc. said Thursday that Jones won’t be allowed to create new accounts on Twitter or take over any existing ones. The company said Jones posted a video Wednesday that violated the company’s policy against “abusive behavior.â€
The video in question showed Jones shouting at and berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes between two congressional hearings focused on social media. Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey testified at both hearings, but he did not appear to witness the confrontation.
Jones had about 900,000 followers on Twitter. The “Infowars†account had about 430,000.
Twitter previously suspended Jones for a week, but had resisted muzzling him further. Other tech companies have limited Jones by suspending him for longer periods, as Facebook did, and by taking down his pages and radio stations.
Jones heckled Darcy in a public hallway where reporters were waiting to enter the House committee room. He criticized the journalist’s reporting and appearance, referencing his “skinny jeans†and repeatedly saying, “just look at this guy’s eyes†and “look at that smile.â€
At one point, he said Darcy was “smiling like a possum that crawled out of the rear end of a dead cow. That’s what you look like. You look like a possum that got caught doing some really nasty stuff — in my view. You’re a public figure too.â€
Darcy has aggressively questioned social media companies about the forbearance they showed Jones, asking why they have allowed him to remain on their platforms as long as they have.
Jones is currently active on Facebook; his suspension there recently expired.
UPDATES:
2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details of Alex Jones’ confrontation with Oliver Darcy.
This article was originally published at 2 p.m.
