A Twitter spokesman says activist and accused fraudster Shaun King’s threat to name Kenosha, Wisc., police officers is “not in violation” of its rules — including its ban on “a threat of harm against an identifiable group,” a rule used to censor President Trump.
King tweeted Tuesday that the Kenosha Police Department must “name the officer” who shot Jacob Blake, or “we will simply begin naming officers from your department who may or may not be him.”
The former Daily News columnist has 1.1 million followers and the tweet was widely criticized as a threat against officers uninvolved in the Sunday incident. King — who found notoriety for numerous outlandish claims in support of the Black Lives Matter movement — has repeatedly praised rioters and has called for full defunding of the police.
But a Twitter spokesman told The Post Wednesday, “The Tweet you referenced is currently not in violation of the Twitter Rules.”
The spokesperson directed a reporter to information on Twitter’s policy against posting personal information, such as home addresses and contact information, and against glorifying violence, such as by celebrating violent crimes like mass-murder.
The Twitter rep did not explain how King’s tweet complies with a platform rule against “a threat of harm” against “an identifiable group,” which was used to censor Trump. They simply said of King’s posting: “That tweet is not in violation of any of the Twitter Rules.”
In June, Twitter masked a tweet from Trump that said any “autonomous zone” outside the White House “will be met with serious force.” The Trump tweet was flagged with a warning by Twitter for violating a “policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group.”
Twitter’s Head of Site Integrity Yoel Roth, who is in charge of the team responsible for developing and enforcing site rules, faced heavy criticism this year for alleged political bias. Roth wrote in tweets that the Trump administration included “ACTUAL NAZIS IN THE WHITE HOUSE” and called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) a “personality-free bag of farts.”
Blake, 29, was shot in the back Sunday in Kenosha as he walked away from police officers responding to a fight. He had scuffled with them and reportedly was tased before approaching his car. He was shot seven times as he tried to open the door to his car, in which sat his young sons. He survived but may be permanently disabled.
Kenosha is a small city located between Chicago and Milwaukee. Riots, looting and arson after Blake’s shooting devastated downtown businesses. Armed anti-looting militia members paced the streets before the fatal shootings of two protesters Tuesday. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder.
Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wis.) agreed to deploy the National Guard and to accept federal help after he turned down a prior offer, Trump announced Wednesday.