Donald Trump accused Twitter of “censorship” and asked the US justice system to order his return to the social network.
A California court on Friday refused to receive a claim from Donald Trump against Twitter , in which the former president of the United States asked to return to the social network that banned him for inciting violence in January 2021.
Donald Trump and his co-plaintiffs accuse Twitter of “censorship” and of violating their right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the US Constitution.
But “the plaintiffs are not in a position of strength” because ” Twitter is a private company” and “the First Amendment only applies to government-imposed restrictions on speech,” California Judge James Donato explained.
The platform’s regulations ” contractually give Twitter permission to act as it wishes with any account or content, for whatever reason, and even for no reason,” it added.
No return to Twitter
Trump was banned from the big social networks ( Twitter , Facebook, YouTube) after the assault on the Capitol by his supporters, on January 6, 2021, which he is accused of having encouraged.
The platforms justified their decision by the risk of further incitement to violence.
Before being banned from Twitter , the former head of state had about 89 million users. He addressed them daily, alternating between presidential announcements and attacks on his political enemies.
Donald Trump also asked the court to declare Section 230, a 1996 law that protects Internet hosts from lawsuits related to content posted by third parties, unconstitutional.
The sentence was issued a few weeks after the tycoon Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter for 44 billion dollars .
Tesla’s boss wants to make Twitter a bastion of freedom of expression, within the limits provided by law with much less restrictive content moderation than currently.
He believes, like many conservatives, that Twitter is guilty of “censorship . “
Trump recently told US media that he did not plan to return to the platform, even if Musk invited him. He launched his own social network in February called “Truth Social” .
