By: Anita Gužvič
Twitter blocked the account of two Nova24TV journalists. And not because of “alleged hate speech” or because of the content but because of well-coordinated action. The government is accused of interfering with media freedom. Ironic. Meanwhile, they want to silence those who are a thorn in their side and expose their affairs and intentions. “The most brutal combined attack on freedom of expression and media freedom to date. Triggered, like everyone else, from Slovenia”, tweeted Janez Janša.
Yesterday, the leftists managed to block the Twitter account of the editor-in-chief Aleksandar Rant and the investigative journalist Luka Perš, but not for long, as both have already submitted their complaints, so they expect to be unblocked soon. Twitter explained their suspension, namely because of SPAM. “This is a very well-coordinated action, several people reported both of them at the same time due to spam and Twitter automatically suspended them (stupid system),” explained their journalist colleague Luka Svetina.
The content has always been respectful
Aleksander Rant views the suspension of the account as a legitimate act of the owner of the Twitter platform, but believes that he may have been misled by some people in Slovenia who are disturbed by his media engagement. “My account was suspended because of SPAM, not because of content which has always been respectful and did not encourage violence or illegal conduct. On Twitter, my account was reported as a fake account and automatically suspended. I am already editing things with the platform and I expect to be back on Twitter in a few days”. The content of Rant’s latest tweet is also ironic. Those who accuse the government of restricting media freedom are doing just that. They restrict both freedom of speech and freedom of the media.
In recent days, Luka Perš has mainly revealed the irregularities of UEFA President Aleksandar Čeferin, the Balkan crime network, Irangate, and the Baričevič affair. He also revealed the earnings of NGOs and their connections with representatives of the left political option. “It all comes down to the fact that I have become too dangerous for some. This is just one of the first warnings. But no matter. I will still be happy to do my job for my loyal readers. There is no surrender,” Perš commented on the event.
Twitter usually blocks users for hate speech as it does not tolerate violence, harassment, nor does it allow terrorist content. Content that encourages others to harass or abuse is also prohibited, which is right so that we can be safe online. But of course this was not the case here, as the latest tweets prove that the content was not hostile and did not offend individuals of other political views. The suspension was the work of organised leftists who want to silence Nova24TV in every possible way.