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Twitter says Trump conspiracy theory tweet does not violate its rules | #TheCube

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Donald Trump did not violate any policy by tweeting a conspiracy theory related to the US anti-racism protests, Twitter confirmed to Euronews.

The US President suggested that a 75-year-old demonstrator, who was pushed to the ground by police officers in Buffalo, was linked to the anti-fascist movement Antifa.

Viral footage showed the man approaching a police line outside Buffalo City Hall on June 5.

The man is pushed backwards by armed officers and falls, striking his head. None of the police officers immediately go to the man’s aid despite an obvious injury, although an individual can be heard shouting to request medical assistance.

Trump suggested on social media the incident could be a “set up” and that the injured man had attempted to scan police equipment and blackout their communications.

The individual can be seen to hold a phone towards police officers in the video in New York State but there is no definitive proof of this claim.

Trump also named the protestor on social media and suggested, without evidence, that the man was an “ANTIFA provocateur”.

This conspiracy theory was published by the right-wing broadcaster, One America News Network, before being shared by Trump on social media.

The theory had first been disseminated by an anonymous conservative blog on social media last week.

Trump has previously accused the left-wing movement, Antifa, of igniting riots across the country over the death of George Floyd on May 25.

The individual named by Trump has been described by friends as a veteran peace and social justice activist, with no known links to Antifa.

In response to Trump on Twitter, the Mayor of Buffalo, Byron Brown, said that the city is “laser-focused on healing, taking action against racial injustice and building a good future for our residents”.

The European Media Director for Human Rights Watch also denounced Trump’s claims as “paranoid and despicable“.

But a Twitter spokesperson has confirmed to Euronews that the tweet “is not in violation of the Twitter rules”, and the social media company will seemingly not be taking any action.

The role of social media companies in policing online debates, involving high-profile political figures, has been widely debated.

Last month, Twitter flagged Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning for the first time.

Twitter said Trump’s mail-in ballot tweets contained “potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labelled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots”.

Euronews contacted Facebook for a comment on an identical post published on Trump’s official account.

Following the incident in Buffalo, a 75-year-old man has left an intensive care unit but remains hospitalised.

Two Buffalo police officers have been charged with second-degree assault for the incident and have pleaded not guilty.

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, described the incident as “wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful”.

Multiple videos have emerged in recent weeks alleging excessive police force against protestors, who are demanding racial justice following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

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