Twitter slapped a warning label on one of President Donald Trump’s tweets early Friday for violating’s the social media platform’s policy of "glorifying violence."
The president’s tweet was about the protests taking place in Minneapolis over a black man who died while in police custody. It contained the same phrase that Miami's police chief, Walter Headley, used in 1967 when discussing racial tensions and police action.
Trump wrote, "Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"
The statement “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” is the same phrase spoken by Headley.
Headley was accused of aggressively policing black neighborhoods and was criticized by civil rights leaders, Business Insider reports.
Headley told reporters during a news conference in December 1967 that violent actions would be taken by police if tensions in the community escalated into riots.
“We haven’t had any serious problems with civil uprising and looting, because I’ve let the word filter down that when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Headley said, according to the New York Times.
Headley also told reporters, “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality. They haven’t seen anything yet.”
Several months after Headley's comments were made, a violent three-day riot broke out across the city as Richard Nixon was addressing the GOP convention.
Twitter issued a statement explaining the company’s decision to flag Trump’s tweet. The company said the tweet "violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today."
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