Twitter Can't Stomach Dissent from Government Coronavirus Orders

On Saturday, Twitter suspended Candace Owens for encouraging Michiganders to return to work, regardless of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.)’s decrees. Social media companies have partnered with local governments to support coronavirus restrictions. Whitmer, however, issued a new declaration of emergency this week after the Michigan legislature refused to extend her previous emergency declaration. The declaration is the basis for her stay-at-home orders.

“Apparently [Gretchen Whitmer] believes she is a duly elected dictator of a socialist country,” Owens had tweeted. “The people of Michigan need to stand up to her. Open your businesses. Go to work. The police think she’s crazy too. They are not going to arrest 10,000,000 people for going to work.”

Benny Johnson, chief creative officer at Turning Point USA, shared an email Owens received, suggesting that Twitter would not give a reason for suspending her.

“Candace Owens has been suspended from Twitter. Candace tweeted that people in Michigan should go back to work. What rule did she break? Not even Twitter can say,” Johnson tweeted. “Candace Owens tells people to work and gets cancelled but AOC can tell people *not* to work and all good,” he added, referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) calling for a strike as soon as coronavirus lockdowns end.

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