Twitter allowed users to incite and coordinate looters targeting an upscale shopping area in California over the weekend, as protests and riots continued to roil the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, according to a report.
“Let’s riot and raid Santana Row,” 4K posted on Twitter last Thursday, according to Breitbart News, referring to the shopping district in San Jose, Calif.
“It would be a shame if Santana Row was to get looted,” said a tweet from Jesusperezfrias.
“Loot and protest santana row. EAT THE RICH,” another user wrote, according to the website.
Breitbart alerted Twitter that the accounts appeared to be inciting criminal activity.
“We’re taking proactive action on any coordinated attempts to disrupt the public conversation around this issue,” a Twitter spokeswoman responded.
Last week, Twitter added a fact-check label to two of President Trump’s tweets about voting-by-mail and censored another post warning protesters that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” because it was “inciting violence,” according to the social media giant.
Last Thursday, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review whether new regulations can be placed on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, accused of censoring content.
Regulations could also be rolled back that shield the firms from liability.
Protests spread through San Jose over the weekend, and the city announced a 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew beginning Sunday that will last for the next seven days.