Kanye West posted “Shalom” and a smiley face emoji on Sunday, one of his first tweets after being reinstated to Twitter following a six-week suspension for anti-Semitic statements.
The rapper’s tweet including the Hebrew term used as “hello” and “goodbye” by Jewish people has received more than 396,000 “likes,” including one from Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk.
Some Twitter users attacked the “Gold Digger” rapper, while others embraced him in response to his subtle “shalom” message.
One supporter remarked, “It’s good to see you again,” while another added, “I adore you.”
Others told West to “shut up” and “go away” in response to his apparent attempt to make light of his hate speech incident.
West, 45, tweeted “Shalom,” which means “peace” in Hebrew, as well as “hello” and “goodbye” on Sunday.
West had sent out a “test” tweet to ensure that his reactivated account was operational.
“Much more time to tweet now that everyone and their mother has abandoned you, huh?” remarked one critic.
“Every tweet makes it easier for a court to decide that your ex-wife should have full custody,” said another, referring to Kim Kardashian, West’s ex-wife.
West, 45, who officially changed his name to Ye, tweeted to his 32 million followers earlier on Sunday, “Testing Testing.” Checking to see whether my Twitter account has been unblocked.”
Musk responded with a pun on West’s name: “Don’t murder what you detest. Save what you cherish.”
The debate occurred nearly two months after West’s Twitter account was suspended for threatening “death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Musk stated in late October that West’s account had been reinstated by Twitter prior to his $43 billion acquisition of the social media company.
Prior to Sunday, West’s Twitter account has been inactive since November 4.
Numerous companies severed connections with the outspoken musician and entrepreneur due to his remarks, including Adidas, Balenciaga, and the renowned talent agency CAA.
Musk “liked” West’s “shalom” tweet after making a joke about his return to Twitter.
Twitter
West’s comeback to Twitter occurred only days after former President Donald Trump’s account was reopened after almost two years of suspension. Trump was removed from the podium for instigating the US Capitol uprising on January 6, 2021.
Musk resurrected the account of the one-term president after running a poll asking if he should do so. A little more than half of the 15 million individuals who participated in the online survey said “yes.”
Trump has not returned on Twitter as of Monday. Instead, he has been connecting with his fans via Truth Social, his own social media network.
Musk, who assumed control of Twitter last month, clarified his stance on free speech and hate speech on Friday.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt blasted the reactivation of Trump’s Twitter account, tweeting that Musk “is not remotely serious about protecting the platform against hatred, bigotry, and disinformation.”
Musk replied to Greenblatt’s criticism with a facetious tweet: “Hey, quit slandering me!”