Wings Over Scotland Twitter ban lifted after Elon Musk takeover

A ban against the Twitter account of a controversial Scottish independence blogger has been lifted days after the platform was bought over by billionaire Elon Musk.

Stuart Campbell’s Wings Over Scotland account was suspended for alleged “hateful conduct” three years ago.

On Tuesday, Mr Campbell shared a screenshot of an email from the platform’s support department that read: “After further review, we have unsuspended your account as it does not appear to be in violation of the Twitter rules.”

It continued: “We appreciate your patience and apologise for any inconvenience.

“Please note that it may take 24-48 hours for your follower and following numbers to return to normal.”

Since his takeover, the most polarising issue has been around Musk’s stance on free speech and content moderation on Twitter.

The world’s richest man has called himself a “free speech absolutist” and had repeatedly criticised the previous management for what he perceived as over-aggressive moderation of content on the site.

He pledged to loosen moderation, allowing users to speak more freely, and even reverse the permanent bans of controversial figures including former US president Donald Trump.

Well hello again. We apologise for the interruption in service, which was due to circumstances outwith our control. https://t.co/NqrCUUAaC5
— Wings Over Scotland (@WingsScotland) November 8, 2022

Mr Campbell’s Wings Over Scotland blog rose to prominence during campaigning for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Following its launch in 2011, it enjoyed a growing readership for posts about Scottish politics with Mr Campbell regularly receiving thousands of pounds in donations.

More recently, he has been critical of the SNP and the Scottish Government, specifically regarding gender recognition reforms.

The Twitter ban is understood to have been the result of him using an offensive epithet when passing comment on a debate between an Independent columnist and journalist Helen Lewis.

Twitter has started a large wave of staff lay-offs as the social media firm continues its major restructuring under its new owner.

The social media company began widespread staff cuts around the world on Friday, November 4, with suggestions as many as half of its more than 7,500 staff could be axed.