Barry Stanton's X account suspended over racist posts on Indians, users criticise Musk
PTC News Desk: The X account of an anonymous user, Barry Stanton (@barrystantonGBP), was suspended on Friday after a series of racist posts criticising Indians and Indian immigrants went viral. The suspension came in response to hundreds of reports from outraged users, many of whom criticized X owner Elon Musk for not taking action sooner.
The suspension quickly became a hot topic on the platform, sparking debates and a flood of memes. The hashtag "#suspended" trended on X on Friday morning as users weighed in on the decision.
Barry Stanton's account, which was verified and had over 180,000 followers, frequently shared offensive content, including cartoons and memes depicting Indians in derogatory ways, such as defecating in public. The account also endorsed a post on how to drive Indians out of “white neighborhoods.” In addition to targeting Indians, the account posted hateful comments about Jews and Africans, including a tweet that read, "Why do black people think comedy is just loud people shouting?"
One X user, Akshit Singh, reported the account to India's Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and the UK High Commission in India, calling for an investigation into the account's activities. "This account has been engaging in the propagation of hate speech and offensive remarks that target individuals based on race and nationality," Singh stated in his complaint.
Another user commented, "Musk has opened the gates of hell. It's been proven, in fact, that the current Twitter algorithm is pushing racist tweets up against Indians."
According to the X bio, Barry Stanton claims to be a British national and a father of five. However, a report by a UK website revealed that the photos used on the account do not belong to Stanton but are of another man, a pensioner from Worcestershire.
The X handle has been active for several years, posting hateful content that has garnered thousands of retweets and likes. One of Stanton's posts, which was retweeted over 4,000 times, read, "Just picked my lad up from school. He tells me he was forced to read the korma in religion class."
The UK report further suggested that "Barry Stanton" is not a real person as portrayed on X. Instead, the account is either a parody created by a liberal mocking the racism they oppose or an actual racist spreading hateful views under the guise of humor and using someone else's image to conceal their identity.
The incident has reignited discussions about content moderation on social media platforms and the responsibilities of tech companies to prevent hate speech and racism.
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- With inputs from agencies
