'This is called SLAVERY': Kirstie Alley comes under fire for attacking Twitter over Trump ban and saying 'BIG TECH now holds the keys to the chains'
Actress Kirstie Alley came under fire on Saturday for comparing President Trump’s Twitter ban to slavery.
The Cheers star was reacting to a comment from the American Civil Liberties Union which is also opposed to the suspension of the president’s account on the grounds of free speech.
Alley, 69, claimed that tech companies now hold ‘the keys to the chains’ as she compared Wednesday’s riot on the Capitol by Trump supporters to the summer’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
Despite criticism, the celeb Trump supporter stood by her statement, claiming in a later tweet that there is ‘more than one definition of the word slavery’, yet also claimed she views the actions of the president’s mob as a ‘treasonous criminal terrifying act’.
Actress Kirstie Alley, 69, pictured above, came under fire on Saturday for comparing President Trump’s Twitter ban to slavery in a Twitter thread and refusing to back down
Trump was banned from Twitter on Friday night due to concerns that his account would be used to incite further violence after five people died in the Capitol riots on Wednesday
Alley stood her ground claiming there is 'more than one definition of the word slavery'
Alley, who is a high profile follower of the Church of Scientology, had retweeted a statement from the ACLU which said that ‘it should concern everyone when companies like Facebook and Twitter wield the unchecked power to remove people from platforms that have become indispensable for the speech of billions – especially when political realities make those decision easier’.
While the statement later added that Trump could still address his followers through ‘his press team or Fox News’ which is claimed is a luxury ‘black, brown and LGBTQ activists who have been censored by social media companies’ don’t have, Alley focused on the first line
‘ALL people should be concerned is the KEY here,’ she said.
‘It’s true, the average person will no longer have a platform to speak their views. This is called SLAVERY. This censorship proves BIG TECH now holds the keys to the chains.
‘Remember this? Remember all the fires, killing, terrorizing, destruction and yes, at FEDERAL buildings? It was HIDEOUS & ILLEGAL. Remember how these criminals got FUNDED & bailed out? NO ONE WAS OUSTED FROM PLATFORMS including politicos who ENDORSED the VIOLENCE,’ Alley added in a second tweet.
‘Remember?’ she asked, sharing an article from the Tampa Bay Times that reported on BLM protesters lighting a fire in Portland on July 19.
‘On another note... the vast majority of humans are good people just trying to make earth better...So I’m gonna celebrate that,’ Alley said.
Alley, a Scientologust, also appeared to compare Wednesday’s riot on the Capitol by Trump supporters to the summer’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations
She attempted to end her Twitter thread before the backlash began
After Alley was called out for appearing to condone Wednesday’s violence, she returned to Twitter to write: ‘No violence no violence no violence PLEASE no violence’.
‘Breaching the CAPITOL was a treasonous criminal terrifying act and those people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,’ she continued.
‘I do not condone VIOLENCE, TREASON, CRIMINAL ACTS OR DESTRUCTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY. This should suffice as my stance on Jan. 6th.’
As the backlash continued, she refused to back down and stood firm in her comparison between the Trump Twitter ban and slavery.
‘There is more than one definition of the word slavery ... there is the well-known one but the one I refer to a lot is “restricted freedom” ... such as the type of slavery in Venezuela,’ she said.
Alley later returned to Twitter to claim she did not condone Wednesday's violence
She called Wednesday's riot a ‘treasonous criminal terrifying act’
Yet others did not agree and accused her of minimizing the ‘vicious brutality of real slavery’ in her comparison.
‘No. This is a shocking minimization of the sheer vicious brutality of real slavery,’ replied Patricia Arquette.
‘Children were sold away out of their parents’ arms. People were worked and beaten to death. Shackled. Women were raped. Couples were separated and sold.
‘Shame on you. I’m back to muting and blocking you. You are incredibly spoiled if you think it’s equitable in any way,’ she added.
Historian Kevin Kruse wrote: ‘Yes, when historians write about slavery, the thing we stress the most is how the enslaved didn’t have free access to social media platforms.’
And Bishop Talbert Swan also slammed Alley telling her ‘SLAVERY was when Africans and their descendants were OWNED, stripped of freedom, extracted of their labor, treated like animals, raped, lynched, murdered, brutalized, and dehumanized’.
‘It’s not being restricted from inciting violence via social media,’ he added.
Actress Patricia Arquette was among those who criticized Alley's comments Saturday
On Saturday night, Alley also argued against Trump’s second impeachment, which may come after he was seen to incite the violence that erupted on Wednesday, drawing anger from both Democrats and Republicans.
‘I think some people have confused the words impeachment and peaches. I agree we should all call for more peaches,’ she wrote.
Alley had previously come under attack in October after liberal celebrities set on her for announcing that she was going to vote for Trump.
'I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason,’ she said.
'He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks, there you have it'.
Alley also took a hit at the potential attempts to impeach Trump for a second time
The Cheers actress was responding to this comment from the ACLU when she made the comparison. The ACLU also disagree with Trump's Twitter ban on the ground of free speech
She also led the charge of conservative celebrities who backed the president in his unfounded claims of voter fraud following his loss to Joe Biden.
Alley has long been a Trump supporter, endorsing him in 2015 during his presidential run.
She tweeted her support after the then-candidate was aggressively questioned by Scott Pelley during a 60 Minutes interview about his presidential run.
'Pelley acting like an antagonist a**hat,' she tweeted. 'I like Trump … fire at will.'
She then defended her position with a series of follow-up tweets.
However, the following year she walked back her endorsement after the controversial 'p***ygate' tape emerged.
Trump received a permanent suspension from Twitter on Friday night due to concerns that his account would be used to incite further violence after five people died in the Capitol riots on Wednesday.