A controversial tweet sent out by President Donald Trump that suggested a 75-year-old Buffalo man, who was shoved to the ground by police, was involved in a set up was not flagged by Twitter because it did not violate the social media company’s rules, The New York Times reports.
The tweet insinuated that the protester, Martin Gugino, was part of Antifa, an anti-fascist movement, and that he may have fallen on purpose.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur," Trump wrote. "75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment."
The incident sent Gugino to the hospital where he remains hospitalized with a head injury. The cops involved face second-degree assault charges.
Trump’s claims are unfounded, which prompted people to question why Twitter didn’t flag the remarks.
Twitter recently began labeling the president’s tweets if they contain misinformation or glorify violence. Several of the president’s tweets have been slapped with warning labels.
A Twitter spokesman told the newspaper that they did not intervene in this instance because the tweet didn’t violate the company’s rules.
Twitter puts fact-checking labels on tweets that contain false information about civic integrity or the coronavirus, and tweets that contain “manipulated media,” like photos that have been altered to mislead viewers.
It also places warnings on tweets from world leaders that violate rules against promoting violence.
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