Twitter finally bans white supremacist David Duke

It finally happened. Former KKK leader David Duke, one of the United States’ most well-known white supremacists, was banned from Twitter late Thursday night.

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According to a Twitter spokesperson, Duke’s account “has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct.”

“This enforcement action is in line with our recently-updated guidance on harmful links,” Twitter explained.

Critics have long questioned how David Duke was able to remain on Twitter for so long. Duke joined Twitter in 2009, and spread white supremacist messages even as other openly white supremacist users were banned.

Earlier this month, Gizmodo reported that Twitter didn't ban David Duke before because he was no longer part of the KKK and had publicly “distanced himself from the organization.”

Twitter has long banned violent content directed toward people based on race, religion or ethnicity. However, it appears Duke’s ban stems from a recent rule change.

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On July 28, Twitter said it would consider suspending users who shared harmful links to content that promoted "hateful conduct and violence." Previously, harmful links were defined as URLs that directed users to phishing websites, malware, or other malicious websites.

The most recently saved archive of his account from July 30 showed that Duke had more than 53,000 followers before he was given the boot by Twitter.

This is the second time Duke has been banned from a major online media platform this month. The former KKK leader’s YouTube channel was shut down by the company on June 30.

Duke served as the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1989 where he served one term. He ran for U.S. Congress multiple times, most recently in 2016. Duke endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 and again in 2020.

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