A prominent journalist has condemned Twitter's failure to suspend a neo-Nazi account after it sent him a “blatantly racist” image which portrayed Jews as vampires.
After reporting the tweet, Guardian sportswriter Jacob Steinberg was told that the image did not breach any of its own rules against abusive behaviour.
He was sent the image on Monday, as a reply to a post concerning the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand.
The image, which was overlaid with common Jewish surnames, depicted the silhouette of a Nosferatu-like figure.
Each of the names was enclosed by the “triple brackets”, an antisemitic symbol used by neo-Nazis to identify Jewish individuals and organisations on social media sites.
He temporarily deactivated his account, which has approximately 58,500 followers, in response to Twitter’s inaction.
Mr Steinberg, who is Jewish, told the JC: “This is far from the first time I have reported antisemitic tweets and seen no action taken.
“I have become accustomed to it by now, but the message I received on Monday was so blatantly racist that I struggle to believe how anyone can turn a blind eye to it. I am left feeling that Twitter’s reporting procedure is not fit for purpose."
People are reading culture of critique. We know who the puppet masters are pic.twitter.com/shv7jbMCbC
— Rockwell (@EuropeanPosse) January 31, 2019
Churchill was a pure war criminal against his own race
— Rockwell (@EuropeanPosse) October 10, 2018
The @EuropeanPosse account, which was still active at the time of publication, frequently posts material inspired neo-Nazism and white nationalism.
It has also expressed sympathy for “Natsoc” – or National Socialist – politics.
The press has been anti-conservative for over 80 years. They are controlled by liberal people of Israeli descent. Anti-western anti european rhetoric
— Rockwell (@EuropeanPosse) August 2, 2018
The JC has approached Twitter for comment.
Last month Mr Steinberg, who supports West Ham United, clashed with fellow fans of the East London club over online racist abuse.
The journalist was targeted with antisemitic posts after reporting on the resignation of a member of West Ham’s supporters’ board following accusation of antisemitism, homophobia and racism.
Several posts attacked Mr Steinberg as a “Tottenham Hotspur supporter”, while others suggested he was motivated by money or career advancement.
Mr Steinberg was also attacked for reporting Islamophobic abuse directed at Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah by a West Ham fan earlier this year.
A Twitter spokesman said: "We don't comment on individual accounts for privacy or security reasons. The Twitter Rules clearly prohibits abusive behaviour which attempts to harass, intimidate or silence another user's voice."
