Twitch unbans Trump after suspending him for two weeks for hateful conduct

Twitch banned Donald Trump's account late last month for two weeks for racist statements made by the US president at two separate rallies that were broadcast on his account.

Twitch banned Trump’s accounts days after the platform promised to crack down on harassment as streamers on Twitch began to share stories on harassment and assault. (REUTERS)

Twitch had banned US President Donald Trump from the platform end of last month and had suspended his account for ‘hateful conduct'. Trump has finally been unbanned now.

Trump's account, which was used to broadcast past campaign rallies and new ones, was banned for racist comments made by the US president on two separate occasions. At a recent rally in Tulsa, Trump referred to criminals as “hombre(s)” and in a rebroadcast of a 2015 event where he announced his candidacy, Trump called Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists”.

Twitch banned Trump's accounts days after the platform promised to crack down on harassment as streamers on Twitch began to share stories on harassment and assault. Banning the US president's account sent out a clear message - no one was above the platform's rules.

Now that Trump has been ‘allowed' back in, the bigger question is - how long can Trump last on Twitch. If his account continues to be used to broadcast rally streams, it is highly probable that he is going to make some more “disturbing racist comments” again. Ones that are bannable offenses under Twitch's guidelines.

Twitch guidelines prohibit any language that harass people based on race, gender and personal characteristics. The platform has previously said that like everyone else even politicians must adhere to Twitch's service and community guidelines and they do not make exceptions. Action will be taken on content reported if it violates Twitch rules.

Banning Trump for two weeks sets Twitch apart from other social networks that have allowed Trump to get away with racist and violent comments. Social media platforms like Twitter have started to highlight fake and racist comments made by Trump and have flagged some of his tweets while Facebook is still struggling to find proper ground as it has promised to take appropriate measures. 

Facebook has also been heavily criticised by its employees for failing to act up.