Laura Loomer Was Banned From Twitter After Spreading Anti-Muslim Falsehoods About Ilhan Omar

Loomer was known for spreading falsehoods on the platform.

Far-right personality Laura Loomer, known for spreading hoaxes and feeding false conspiracy theories, was suspended from Twitter on Wednesday. The suspension comes after Loomer tweeted a series of anti-Muslim falsehoods about Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee who is one of two Muslim women elected to Congress.

A spokesperson for Twitter confirmed the suspension is permanent but can be appealed. Loomer had more than a quarter of a million followers on the platform.

In a video posted to YouTube, Loomer said she was "suspended for telling the truth" in her tweet about Omar. The tweet baselessly and falsely implied Omar is against Jewish people and women but supports female genital mutilation and "Sharia." Loomer said she was told she was in violation of Twitter's hateful conduct policy. In the video she pleaded for Donald Trump to "do something," and said she plans to sue the social media company.

Online, Loomer is known as a purveyor of falsehoods. She consistently misidentifies suspects during breaking news situations and, during the midterm elections, spread hoaxes about voter fraud. Famously, she also implied she was being surveilled by the FBI because she allegedly saw a Wi-Fi network titled "FBI Surveillance Van," a common joke.

Twitter is not the first platform to take action against Loomer. Earlier this year, Lyft and Uber deactivated her accounts following an anti-Muslim rant she posted to Twitter. Medium also removed her account in February after cracking down on far-right commentators using its website. Loomer remains on YouTube, Patreon, Facebook, and Instagram.

UPDATE

This post was updated to reflect that Loomer's suspension is permanent but can be appealed.


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