Kanye West suspended from Instagram for 24 hrs after violating harassment policy

Further action could be taken if Kanye West continues to violate policies on regaining control of the account. PHOTO: AFP

CALIFORNIA (REUTERS) - Kanye West has been suspended from Instagram for 24 hours after the rapper infringed the platform's policy regarding harassment, a spokesperson for its parent firm Meta Platforms Inc said.

The platform deleted content sent from the 44-year-old rapper's account that was in violation of its policies on "hate speech and bullying and harassment," the spokesperson, Joe Osborne, told Reuters in an emailed statement.

West, who legally goes by 'Ye', will be restricted from posting, commenting or sending direct messages from the account for 24 hours, Osborne said, adding further action could be taken if he continued to violate policies on regaining control of the account.

Representatives for West did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

A report in entertainment industry publication Variety said the rapper directed racial slurs at Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show in an Instagram post after Noah discussed a row between West, West's former wife Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson. The post has since been deleted, the report said.

Meta declined to provide details of the posts that violated its policy. However, posts of West criticising actor D.L. Hughley and SNL writer Dave Sirius can still be seen on his profile.

Kardashian, a businesswoman and star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, filed for divorce a year ago, citing irreconcilable differences with West.

The couple have four children, aged between twoand eight. After the divorce, West criticised the reality star's new relationship with Davidson on social media and publicly appealed to her to return to him.

A Los Angeles judge recently granted Kardashian's request to be declared legally single following nearly eight years of marriage to the rapper.

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