Twitter Criticized for Slow Respond to Rapper Wiley’s Posts

Social networking giant Twitter receives serious backlash over its slow action towards a British rapper Wiley’s anti-Semitic posts. As a result, the technology company is now reportedly under fire from critics, politicians, and users for allowing the artist’s tweets to remain longer.

Just recently, reports say that the UK interior minister Priti Patel asked the social media company for a full explanation.

Wiley is currently facing a serious police investigation after several comments appeared on his social media accounts last week. The rapper asserted that Jews have systematically exploited the music industry, particularly Black artists.

According to Patel, the anti-Semitic posts from Wiley were abhorrent. The British official said that the comments should not have been able to remain on the platform for so long.

Patel added that social networking companies should act much faster to remove such comments from their platforms.

Technology news reports say that both rapper’s comments appeared both on Twitter and the Facebook-owned Instagram.

A spokesperson from Facebook said that there is no space for hate speech on the company’s photo and video sharing platform.

Other responses

Aside from Patel, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also said that the two companies’ responses were not enough.

In a letter sent to the two firms, Khan said that when some material is published, the response should be immediate.

Khan added that it only takes minutes for a post or tweet to reach millions of audiences. He added that when someone influential shares such content, it may have an impact on the views of many people.

Twitter has reportedly removed some anti-Semitic statements from Wiley’s account. The company has not yet responded to the comment.

Richard Cowie, most known as Wiley, is a famous icon in Britain. The artist has received a UK government honor for his contributions to the local scene back in 2018.

Walkout Plan

After the controversial tweet, several celebrities, politicians, and high-profile British nationals vowed to join a 48-hour boycott. The movement was referred to as a Twitter “walkout” and it’s a protest to the inadequate response to Wiley’s tweets.

Modern technology has indeed paved a way for artists and influencers to rise and get their voice out. Unfortunately, the lack of regulation or response can help negative voices too.

British political campaign group Labour Against Anti-Semitism said that Twitter has a history of failing to tackle anti-Semitism on the platform.

A spokesperson from the group said that the social media company must review its internal processes immediately. They added that it should start blocking anti-Semitic accounts and improve its protection against racism.

The movement promoted the hashtag #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate.