The Twitter account of David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and failed gubernatorial and presidential candidate, was suspended early Friday.
"FUCKING FINALLY!," tweeted Sleeping Giants, a campaign dedicated to deplatforming bigots. "... We’ve only been asking about this for THREE AND A HALF FUCKING YEARS!"
Twitter confirmed to Newsweek that the suspension was permanent. Duke has received at least one temporary suspension in the past.
"The account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules on hateful conduct," a Twitter spokesperson was quoted saying by Newsweek. "This enforcement action is in line with our recently-updated guidance on harmful links."
It's not clear exactly which tweet finally did him in, but the reference to harmful links makes it likely the final straw was his posting of a viral coronavirus conspiracy video that exhorts people to take an unproven medication to fight the disease.
Among America's most notorious living racists and antisemites, Duke advanced Neo-Nazi conspiracy theories, defrauded his supporters, and even joined the Republican Party in pursuit of his aims.
