Steven Monacelli, an independent journalist, reported on Tuesday that the group Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (EFJBGC)—a leftist group based in Texas that volunteers as armed protection for LGBTQ events—had been suspended after breaking Twitter’s content rules.
According to a screenshot posted by Monacelli, the group was suspended for violating the platform’s rules “against hateful conduct,” citing two recent tweets from the club.
On Wednesday, clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo reported that Chad Loder, an outspoken anti-fascist from Los Angeles, California, had also been suspended. Loder had reportedly been keeping track of anti-fascists who had recently been banned from the platform, according to a screenshot posted by Micah Lee, a writer at The Intercept.
Monacelli posted that he had reached out to Loder to ask if he had received a “suspension report” from Twitter explaining why his account had been banned. Loder reportedly said he had yet to receive one.
Loder later posted on his reinstated account, writing “nice try.”
The recent suspensions have led to an outcry against Musk’s new Twitter content rules. The CEO has recently reinstated accounts that were previously banned on the platform for spreading hate speech or misinformation, specifically reinstating two accounts last week that were banned for transphobic tweets.
On Tuesday, Musk responded to a tweet from Kyle Becker, a former writer for Fox News, about how some users have accused the billionaire of being a “right-wing bogeyman” in light of reinstating conservative politicians, including Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and former President Donald Trump.
Musk responded that it was “obvious” there had not been “one permanent ban on even the most far left account spouting utter lies.”
In response, Lee asked Musk why Loder’s account had been suspended, adding, “Perhaps you’re confused about the meaning of ‘free speech’ – it’s not just for people who agree with you.”
While it is unclear if Musk played a role in suspending Loder and the EFJBGC, the CEO did post on Wednesday that Twitter was “moving rapidly to establish an even playing field” among different viewpoints on the platform, claiming that far-left “views have been propagated to the world via Twitter.”
“No more thumb on the scale!” Musk wrote.
Other users identifying as anti-fascist also shared fears of their accounts being banned in the near future, including the account Tonight We Riot, a video game that simulates “worker liberation in face of overpowering capitalism,” according to the Nintendo store.
“Looks like Elon Musk is going full mask-off and outright banning a ton of high profile anti-fascist accounts,” the account wrote. “If we disappear as well, you know why.”
Theoretical physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein also posted Wednesday that Twitter was “suspending anti fascist folks” and shared how followers could stay in touch with her on other platforms.
Newsweek has reached out to Musk’s press team for comment.
