x
Breaking News
More () »

Twitter permanently bans former KKK leader David Duke

The company said Friday that Duke’s account 'has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct.'
Credit: AP
FILE - In an Aug. 12, 2017, file photo, David Duke arrives to give remarks after a white nationalist protest was declared an unlawful assembly, in Charlottesville, Va. Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, has agreed to pay Bill Burke, of Athens, Ohio, $5,000 to settle allegations that Burke was severely injured during a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally two years ago in Virginia attended by Duke, according to attorneys and court documents. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has been banned from Twitter for breaking the social media platform's site’s rules forbidding hate speech.

The company said Friday that Duke's account “has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct.”

It didn't specify what exactly Duke posted that triggered the ban, but its policy on hateful conduct prohibits promoting violence or threatening attacks against people based on religious affiliation, race and ethnic origin.

Twitter said the ban was in line with its recently updated policy aimed at cutting down on harmful links. Under the new rules, the company may suspend accounts dedicated to sharing hateful content or that try to get around its blocks on sharing links to the material.

Duke was the leader of the white supremacist KKK from 1974 to 1978.

RELATED: Twitter says hackers used phone to fool staff, gain access

RELATED: Trader Joe's urged to change ethnic 'Trader Ming's,' 'Trader José' labels

Credit: AP
FILE - In an Aug. 12, 2017, file photo, David Duke arrives to give remarks after a white nationalist protest was declared an unlawful assembly, in Charlottesville, Va. Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, has agreed to pay Bill Burke, of Athens, Ohio, $5,000 to settle allegations that Burke was severely injured during a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally two years ago in Virginia attended by Duke, according to attorneys and court documents. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)

Before You Leave, Check This Out