Marjorie Taylor Greene is temporarily suspended from Twitter for claiming COVID is 'not dangerous' for some people - and blames 'communist California' for getting her 'canceled'
Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been banned from Twitter for 12 hours after recently spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twitter had labeled two tweets from Greene as 'misleading' in recent days, after she suggested vaccines were unsafe.
Greene had posted that the coronavirus is not dangerous for non-obese people under 65, and that organizations should not force 'non-FDA' approved vaccines or masks.
A Twitter spokesperson said: 'We took enforcement action on the account @mtgreenee for violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically the COVID-19 misleading information policy' .
In a scheduled appearance on Newsmax, moments after Twitter suspended her account, the congresswoman insisted her tweets were accurate, saying the suspension was part of a pattern where she's been 'canceled' multiple times.
After recently spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), was temporarily suspended by the social media app Monday
'Twitter, who is playing a big part and a role with Big Tech and Facebook and the White House – apparently the Joe and the Biden administration – in censoring Americans, along with the communist cities in communist California who doesn't [sic] believe that America first represents their values, in Anaheim or Riverside.'
'We are being canceled and our speech is being canceled,' Greene continued. 'And we're being blamed for it. So you can see what's going on. This is communism. This is communism when you have American cities canceling two members of Congress's events at private venues.'
The tweets which saw Greene banned both came in the last two days.
On July 18 she posted: 'This is why no entity should force NON-FDA approved vaccines or masks. Instead help people protect their health by defeating obesity, which will protect them from covid complications & death, and many other health problems. We should invest in health, not human experimentation.'
And on July 19, she wrote: 'The controversial #COVID19 vaccines should not be forced on our military for a virus that is not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65. With 6,000 vax related deaths and many concerning side effects reported, the vax should be a choice not a mandate for everyone.'
Twitter added a message to both posts which read: 'This Tweet is misleading. Learn why health officials recommend a vaccine for most people.'
The United States is using vaccines made by Pfizer Inc , Moderna Inc, and Johnson & Johnson under Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization. None of these vaccines are fully approved but numerous studies have proven their efficacy.
After recently spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), was temporarily suspended by the social media app Monday
In a video statement on Facebook Live, Greene acknowledged that she had been temporarily suspended from the Twitter, and blamed the Biden administration for trying to control free speech.
'Remember, last week when our press secretary said the White House is working to stop the spread of (misinformation) because they want to be careful and they want to be in control of the information that is shared about COVID-19 and vaccines, isn´t that concerning?' Greene said.
The Republican representative has come under fire before for remarks on the pandemic. In June she apologized after comparing COVID-19 mask requirements and vaccinations to the Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews.
In January, Twitter locked Greene's account after she sparred with a state election official over voter fraud allegations.
Greene's suspension comes on the heels of the White House issuing warnings to social media platforms over misleading claims about coronavirus vaccines as cases surge due to the now-prominent Delta variant.
The number of COVID-19 cases has started to surge in the United States after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks
Doctors and public health officials have said that the surge, in 43 out of the country's 50 states, comes amid a rise in the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and stagnating vaccination numbers
'I am urging all Americans to help slow the spread of health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,' US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote in a 22-page advisory released last week.
'Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people's health, and undermine public health efforts. Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort.'
The number of COVID-19 cases has started to surge in the United States after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks.
Doctors and public health officials have said that the surge, in 43 out of the country's 50 states, comes amid a rise in the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and stagnating vaccination numbers.
Health experts warn that the worrying increase in cases is linked to the Indian 'Delta' variant, which accounts for as many 97 percent of infections in some states.
'I am urging all Americans to help slow the spread of health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,' US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy wrote in a 22-page advisory released last week
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