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EJ Gibney @EJGibney
, 23 tweets, 8 min read Read on Twitter
THREAD: Until recently, I worked hard using whatever free time I had to document and share thousands of examples of violent hate speech found beneath Breitbart articles. Breitbart has used their influence to steer their audience toward hate in a consequence-free environment.
Here are several threads that I've put together over the past two years demonstrating the threats of violence and hate that I've found in Breitbart comments.

January 2018 - After reports of threats toward CNN
April 2018 - This Immigrants "taunting" Trump article resulted in hundreds of comments threatening violence.
December 2017 - More than 600 anti-black comments targeting LaVar Ball after he criticized Pres. Trump.
September 2017 - Breitbart used a misleading headline to stoke racial hatred toward the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers over the kneeling controversy.
January 2018 - Misleading headline blames Muslims for the demolition of a German church. Comments in this thread include an assertion that Muslims are "bloodthirsty" while others called for a new Crusade.
November 2017 - Various anti-muslim comments from my March - June 2017 collection demonstrating a strong desire for violence against Muslims by the Breitbart community.
May 2018 - Thread containing threats and racial hate toward Don Lemon. Suggestions of civil war or impending violence are common beneath Breitbart articles targeting public figures in the media.
March 2018 - Thread showing violent comments targeting London Mayor following his video message about the hate speech he receives. Breitbart transformed his video into an islamophobic dog-whistle.
There are more examples, including the pinned tweet on my page, that highlight the severity of this issue. I'd like to add that every comment that I've collected has been documented in a series of spreadsheets which include individualized links provided by @disqus for tracking.
I'm writing this thread for two reasons: First, the targets of today's attempted bombings are often the targets of Breitbart articles and mirror the President's rhetoric. In tracking the community that frequents Breitbart, there is clear evidence that violence has been...
...brewing for some time. I've worked to hold @disqus accountable for the dangerous community that has been cultivated on Breitbart. To date, @disqus has taken no action.
I've also identified groups of individuals who have used @disqus channels to target and coordinate "raids" on Breitbart's comment section to promote antisemitism. They view Breitbart as a tool for recruiting like-minded nationalists.
buzzfeednews.com/article/charli…
Second, today, Breitbart announced plans to pursue legal action against @slpng_giants claiming Sleeping Giants targeted Breitbart in a smear campaign by making false statements about the site's content. My thoughts? Comments are inspired by the content...
Comments like the thousands that I've documented don't just magically appear on sites with innocuous content. Readers who visit Breitbart articles are inspired by the content and contribute to the conversation. Breitbart must bear that responsibility.

As an example...
In May, Breitbart published their synopsis of Childish Gambino's music video for "This is America". They used a still from the video that depicts an African American man holding an automatic weapon in front of a gunned down church choir as the cover image.
Breitbart knows their audience. They know how to get clicks and drive traffic through dog-whistles. As I noted in the thread from May, this article quickly became a rallying cry for like-minded people.
Another example...

When Breitbart wrote about the "unmasking" of the founder of @slpng_giants, hundreds of violent and anti-semitic comments poured in. Comments revealed his home address, phone numbers, and the names of his children.
Breitbart can claim they have been smeared all they like. The truth is, 4,000+ companies have removed their ads from Breitbart because they don't want to be associated with a company that promotes and encourages the violent, bigoted, and racist views in this thread.
No one has stopped Breitbart from promoting their ideas, but freedom of speech does not equal freedom from consequence. Independent companies with independent values are not obligated to finance websites through advertising.
I believe in @slpng_giants. I believe hate should not be profitable. Those who preach violence and bigotry should not be ostracized from the public square but they do not have to be heard. I support companies who uphold their values, even if our values differ.
If you've made it to the end of this thread, thank you. It was long-winded but necessary. I'll be real, I'm tired as hell. Scrolling through the comments on Breitbart takes a toll, but I will never be too tired to fight for @slpng_giants.

#SupportSleepingGiants
/END
PS. If you read through this thread and you disagree with any of it, I keep my DM's open and I'm happy to talk. People are allowed to disagree and I think we stand to learn so much more from honest and open conversation.
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