Twitter Bans White Nationalist Leader Nick Fuentes, Ally Of Arizona Republican Rep. Gosar

Topline

Nick Fuentes, the 22-year-old leader of a white nationalist group who was embraced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), was suspended by Twitter on Friday, one of the last platforms that had yet to banish the far-right rising star. 

Nick Fuentes right-wing podcaster, center, speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump during a … [+] pro-Trump march Saturday Nov. 14, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

ASSOCIATED PRESS Key Facts

Twitter confirmed it banned Fuentes after “repeated violations” of its rules, without offering further information.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Thursday published an article on its blog entitled “Nicholas J. Fuentes: Five Things to Know” in which it accused Fuentes of using his platform “to make numerous antisemitic and racist comments.”

Fuentes responded on his Telegram account claiming that Twitter suspended him because of the ADL report, sayin he “was permanently suspended hours later.”

In April, Twitter banned an account associated with Fuentes’ political group, America First.

Key Background

Fuentes has been labeled a white supremacist by the FBI in a court document and “white-nationalist organizer” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He attended both the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and the rallies in Washington, D.C. on January 6 leading up to the Capitol riot. He first rose to prominence through his online show America First with Nicholas J. Fuentes, which he began live streaming in 2017. Fuentes is an avowed member of the “Groyper army,” which the ADL describes as “a white supremacist group.” At a political event earlier this year, he warned the U.S. was losing “its white demographic core” and called the Capitol riot attack “awesome.” He has previously defended segregation and denied parts of the Holocaust, though he later said he was joking about his Holocaust comments. Two days before the Capitol riot, Fuentes suggested killing legislators who refused to vote to overturn the 2020 election, before walking the idea back. “What can you and I do to a state legislator — besides kill them?” he said on his livestream. “We should not do that. I’m not advising that, but I mean, what else can you do, right?”

Surprising Fact

Fuentes was verified on Twitter and had more than 125,000 followers on the platform before he was suspended Friday. Activists had tried for months to deplatform him before Friday.  

Tangent 

Gosar drew controversy last month after Fuentes circulated a flier advertising an America First fundraiser headlined by the Arizona Republican, which included a picture of the two men sitting next to each other. After initially brushing criticism aside, Gosar—who has previously attended events with Fuentes—denied knowledge of the event. 

Chief Critic

At least one Fuentes critic attacked the Twitter ban. “Nick Fuentes has been a giant troll (and IMO dishonest) in his attacks against me,” Ohio GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance tweeted following news of Fuentes’ ban. “Don’t care. Tech companies control what we’re allowed to say in our own country. It has to stop.” Leading up to his ban on Twitter, Fuentes had taken aim at Vance over comments he made that were critical of Trump. Vance has since apologized for those comments. 

Further Reading

Far-Right Extremist Finds an Ally in an Arizona Congressman (New York Times)

Rep. Gosar denies knowledge of fundraiser with group that promotes white-nationalist ideas despite invitation for the event (Washington Post)