Musk reinstates Kanye West's Twitter account on new 'X' social media platform

Social media platform X reinstated the account of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, on Saturday, after it was suspended nearly eight months ago because the rapper had violated the platform's rules prohibiting incitement to violence.

Ye's account now shows his last post from Dec. 1, a day prior to when his account was suspended on platform X, the new name owner Elon Musk has given Twitter.

Ye won't be eligible to monetize his account on X, and advertisements won't appear next to his posts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing the social media platform.

Ye's account was suspended in December, just two months after it was reinstated after one of his posts had earlier appeared to show a swastika symbol inside a Star of David.

X reinstated Ye's account after receiving reassurance that he wouldn't use the platform to share antisemitic or otherwise harmful language, the report said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Ye has not posted anything new since coming back on the platform.

The social media platform did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Jonathan Greenblatt head of the Anti-Defemation League called the reinstatement "Absolutely sickening."

Absolutely sickening that antisemite Kanye West was unsuspended from Twitter/X and given a gold verification check mark. He’s done absolutely nothing to make amends. https://t.co/a35edtRI5t

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) July 30, 2023

Absolutely sickening that antisemite Kanye West was unsuspended from Twitter/X and given a gold verification check mark," he wrote. "He’s done absolutely nothing to make amends. I believe in counsel culture not cancel culture — but this approach only works when the offender demonstrates some measure of contrition and an openness to learn. We've seen zero from Kanye.

"But we have seen a surge of ugly antisemites on Twitter in the last six months — toxic white supremacists, rabid anti-Zionists, and now this. Why is anti-Jewish hate excused? overlooked? rationalized?"

Musk the free-speech absolutist

The billionaire owner of X, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, had welcomed the return of the rapper to the platform in October after his account was reinstated for the first time.

Musk had previously reinstated former US President Donald Trump's account after conducting a poll in which some 14.8 million Twitter users had voted with 51.8% voting in favor of the reinstatement. But Trump had said that he had no interest in returning to Twitter and would stick with his new platform Truth Social.

After Ye went on a string of antisemitic rants in interviews and on social media he lost his partnership with Adidas and Gap for Yeezy products.

Jewish reactions to Ye's reinstatement

The American Jewish Commitee stated that "X’s inexplicable decision to reinstate the account of Kanye West sends a terrible signal to Jew haters on the platform and everywhere."

"Ye’s antisemitic diatribes inspired real-life antisemitic incidents."