Kanye West’s return to Twitter was short-lived after the company removed an alarming tweet and locked the rapper out of his own account for violating its policies.
Hours after Meta deleted antisemitic content from West’s Instagram page and placed a restriction on his account, Twitter took down a post from the musician and fashion designer that said he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” He appears to be referring to the U.S. armed forces defense readiness condition DEFCON 3.
“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West wrote on Saturday night. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
West’s account has since been “locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies,” a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to multiple outlets.
The tweet no longer appears on West’s account with a notice from Twitter reading that the post “violated the Twitter Rules.”
However, other concerning tweets from West’s weekend Twitter spree remain on his page.
The “Donda” rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, returned to Twitter Friday after nearly two years.
West had been incessantly posting on Instagram since sparking controversy over the “White Lives Matter” T-shirts he displayed during a Paris show for his Yeezy fashion line, which has drawn fierce criticism within the fashion industry and beyond.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, restricted his account after West shared screenshots of an alleged text conversation with Sean Combs on Friday, in which he insinuated that the rapper was being controlled by Jewish people alongside the caption “Jesus is Jew.”
Instagram deleted the post from West’s page and placed a restriction on the account. A Meta spokesperson said West violated its rules and guidelines, but did not specify which content was specifically removed or how long he would not be able to post on the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Upon his return to Twitter, West took aim at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the actions taken with his account, writing, “Look at this Mark… How you gone kick me off instagram” alongside a photo of the two appearing to sing together.
He received a warm welcome on Twitter from the company’s possible future owner, Elon Musk, who replied to West’s post about Zuckerberg with the message: “welcome back to Twitter, my friend!”
West’s recent comments have been condemned by advocacy groups, including the American Jewish Committee, which blasted him for making “incoherent rants laden with racist and antisemitic undertones” in a video on Friday.
The group’s post specifically mentioned West’s “dangerous” exchange with Combs, as well as his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, in which he claimed former presidential adviser Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, negotiated peace treaties in the Middle East during Donald Trump’s administration for the sole purpose of making money.
“I just think it was to make money,” West said of Kushner’s work in the region. “I don’t know … I just think that that’s what they’re about is making money. I don’t think that they have the ability to make anything on their own.”
“The behavior exhibited this week by @kanyewest is deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period,” the Anti-Defamation League wrote on Friday. “There is no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic #antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has.”
It’s unclear what further actions Instagram and Twitter will take or how long he will be locked out of both accounts.
Back in March, West’s Instagram account was suspended for 24 hours for violating the company’s policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment after he used a racial slur to describe “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah.
This article has been updated to include details about Twitter locking West’s account.
