Outrage over Twitter’s apparent lack of prompt action to combat anti-Semitism has resulted in numerous high-profile figures choosing to boycott the platform for 48 hours.
The dispute was sparked by grime artist and UK rapper Wiley, who posted a series of tweets on Friday, as well as posts on other social media sites, which were widely denounced as offensive. In the tweets, he cited anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and compared the Jewish community to the Klu Klux Klan.
The rapper was abandoned by his A-List Management representatives and numerous of the posts have been removed by Facebook-owned Twitter and Instagram for violating his terms of service. However, the fact that it took around 48 hours to remove the offensive messages has sparked a backlash, with actress and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman leading the charge in calling for a boycott of the hashtags #NoSafePlaceForJewHate and # 48HoursSilence.
Numerous figures have joined by leaving Twitter for two days starting at 9 am UK time on Monday (July 27). Also on board are Irvine Welsh, comedian Robert Webb, The newbie host Alan Sugar, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and actor Jason Isaacs.
Here is a selection of his tweets:
