(JTA) — Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his “Infowars” show for abusive behavior.
Twitter says Jones won’t be able to create new accounts on Twitter or take over any existing ones, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Jones posted a video on Wednesday that is in violation of the company’s policy against “abusive behavior,” the firm said. The video in question shows Jones shouting at and berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes during congressional hearings about social media.
Jones, a Dallas-born radio show host, had about 900,000 followers on Twitter. “Infowars” had about 430,000.
Twitter had previously suspended Jones for a week. But until now it had resisted muzzling Jones further. Other tech companies have limited Jones by suspending him for longer periods, as Facebook did, and by taking down his pages and radio stations.
Jones has promoted numerous conspiracy theorists, including that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting attack never happened and that the U.S. government was involved in the 9/11 terror attacks. The parents of Jewish Sandy Hook victim Noah Pozner, 6, sued Jones for denying that the attack took place.
Some of Jones’ conspiracy theories involve Jews, such as that “leftist Jews” may have impersonated Nazis to discredit white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, last August and that there is a “Jewish mafia” run by George Soros. In the past, Jones has denied that he is anti-Semitic, saying he reserves his attacks for Jewish liberals.
In December 2015, Donald Trump appeared on “The Alex Jones Show,” where the then-candidate for the Republican presidential nomination told the host that “your reputation is amazing” and promised he would “not let you down.”
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