Twitter suspends Kanye West again 'for incitement to violence'

Twitter has kicked Kanye West off the social media platform after the controversial rapper posted a picture that appeared to show a swastika interlaced with a Star of David.

"Just clarifying that his account is being suspended for incitement to violence, not an unflattering pic of me," Twitter CEO Elon Musk said in response to West's tweet on Friday.

West had shared a picture of a shirtless Musk getting sprayed with water, captioned: "Let's always remember this as my final tweet."

Twitter also restricted one of Ye's tweets on Thursday. His account was suspended within an hour after Musk responded to a Twitter user, who said "Elon Fix Kanye Please."

"I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended," Musk tweeted.

Musk, who previously called himself a "free speech absolutist," has repeatedly said he believes that all content permitted by law should be allowed on Twitter and sought to remake the social media organisation after he took control in October.

Since taking over the platform, Musk has cut around half of Twitter's workforce, including many employees tasked with fighting disinformation, while an unknown number of others have voluntarily quit.

The company has also begun reinstating roughly 62,000 accounts in what is being referred to internally as "the Big Bang," according to Platformer news blog.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

READ MORE: EU's review of Twitter content shows 'a worrying trend' 

Parler purchase called off

Ye has made a series of anti-Jewish comments in recent weeks, including praising Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Thursday. 

Ye’s remarks led to his suspension from social media platforms, his talent agency dropping him and companies like Adidas cutting ties with him. The sportswear manufacturer has also launched an investigation into his conduct.

Also on Thursday, right-leaning social media site, Parler said Ye will not be purchasing the company after he had offered to buy it in October.

“This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November," Parlement Technologies said in a statement. “Parler will continue to pursue future opportunities for growth and the evolution of the platform for our vibrant community."

Parler is a small platform in the emerging space of right-leaning, far-right and libertarian social apps that promise little to no content moderation to weed out hate speech, racism and misinformation, among other objectionable content. 

None of the sites has come close to reaching mainstream status.

READ MORE: So it wasn’t the end of Twitter. But will the blue bird soar again?