Serbian president dares Twitter to delete his account

Serbia’s president has dared Twitter to delete his social media account, arguing he would become “another Trump in the world.”

“I can’t wait for them (Twitter) to close my account so I become another Trump in the world,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

The wire service noted that Vučić’s comments were made in light of Twitter designating several media accounts as “state-affiliated media.”

Vučić claimed that the move by Twitter was “censorship.”

Twitter defines state-affiliated media as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution. Accounts belonging to state-affiliated media entities, their editors-in-chief, and/or their senior staff may be labeled.”

Serbia is included on a list of countries that have Twitter accounts that have received this label. Twitter accounts in countries like the United States, France, Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates have also received the label.

The social media giant said that the accounts in these countries were either given the distinction because they are “government accounts heavily engaged in geopolitics and diplomacy,” “state-affiliated media entities” or “individuals, such as editors or high-profile journalists, associated with state-affiliated media entities.”

Earlier this year, the platform announced that it was permanently suspending former President Trump’s account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” following his comments made after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Facebook also imposed a ban against Trump, and the company announced in June that the former president would remain suspended until 2023.

Social media suspensions and labels have become a point of contention for some Republicans who argue that the labeling and suspensions are “biased.” 

Last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was given a one-week suspension from Twitter after she wrote that the COVID-19 vaccines were “failing” and should not be fully authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

In July, the Georgia Republican was also given a 12-hour suspension from Twitter for violating its policy against spreading misinformation on COVID-19.

“Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the Silicon Valley Cartel are working hand in hand with the White House to censor Americans,” Greene told The Hill at the time. “This is a Communist-style assault on free speech. I will not back down and I will continue [to] tell the truth to the American people.”