Twitter Places Restrictions on Trump Video Urging Protesters to ‘Go Home Now’

Twitter has added a number of restrictions on a video posted by President Donald Trump that called for peace and urged protesters who amassed at the U.S. Capitol to go home.
Twitter Places Restrictions on Trump Video Urging Protesters to ‘Go Home Now’
Protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Updated:

Twitter has added a number of restrictions on a video posted by President Donald Trump that called for peace and urged protesters who amassed at the U.S. Capitol to go home.

“This claim of election fraud is disputed, and this Tweet can’t be replied to, Retweeted, or liked due to a risk of violence,” the social media platform told its users who tried to engage with the post.

But users are still able to “quote tweet”—or share the video by adding text to their post—according to the platform’s restriction.

A dialogue box restricting engagement to President Donald Trump's video that urges protesters who have stormed the U.S. Capitol to "go home now." (Screenshot)
A dialogue box restricting engagement to President Donald Trump's video that urges protesters who have stormed the U.S. Capitol to "go home now." Screenshot

In his video on Wednesday, Trump responded to demonstrations over election results that spilled into the Capitol building as Congress convened to formally count the Electoral College votes. The appearance of the protesters forced both houses of Congress, who were debating on whether to certify states’ electoral results, to halt their sessions.

“You have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order and great people in law [enforcement],” Trump said in a video address.

Several other separate Trump posts that calling for peaceful behavior did not attract policing from the social media giant.

“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!” Trump wrote.
“Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” he said in another post.

The protesters who breached the Capitol building were also condemned by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and top leaders in Congress.

Biden, in a televised address at around 4 p.m., said Trump should go on television “now” to address the protesters and tell them to go home. The former vice president characterized the protests as an “insurrection” that was “bordering on sedition.”

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called the described sudden violence as “un-American.”

“This is so un-American... I could not be sadder or more disappointed at the way our country looks at this very moment... This is not the American way. This is not protected by the First Amendment. This must stop now,” McCarthy said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) jointly called on Trump to “demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol grounds immediately.”

Capitol Police told lawmakers in the House chamber to take gas masks from beneath their seats and prepare to put them on. Officers at the front door of the House chamber had their guns drawn as someone attempted to enter the chamber.

Officers ordered people in the chamber to drop to the floor for their safety.

Shots were reportedly fired inside the U.S. Capitol. The Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, reported that one person was shot and has been taken to a hospital in an unknown condition.
Press secretary Kaleigh McEnany said in a statement that the president has authorized the national guard to go to the U.S. Capitol.

The certification joint session in Congress is expected to extend for several hours as some Republican lawmakers are objecting to electoral college votes in several disputed states over concerns of election irregularities and allegations of voter fraud.

Twitter has been frequently criticized for its unbalance policing of its users posts, in particular Trump’s post. Trump and his administration have repeatedly underscored the risks of the alleged censorship of user content on social media platforms, claiming that many Big Tech companies are engaging in conduct that limits conservative viewpoints and stifles free speech.
Jack Phillips and Reuters contributed to this report.