LONDON: Far-right political party Britain First on Monday received a gold tick on Twitter as part of the platform’s shake-up of its verification process.
The controversial nationalist party was awarded verified status and an “official organization” label, which means its tweets are more likely to appear in the newsfeeds of users who do not directly follow the account.
According to the platform, Twitter’s gold tick designates a verified organization that is a business or non-profit group. The Twitter Verified program costs organizations about $1,000 a month, plus $50 a month for each affiliated sub-account.
Britain First leader Paul Golding, who was jailed in 2018 for religiously aggravated harassment, has also had his own account verified, complete with a blue tick.
The accounts of both Golding and Britain First were suspended in 2017 after Twitter ruled they had breached the platform’s rules on hate speech. They were reinstated following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform in October last year. Musk describes himself as a “free speech absolutist.”
Britain First is an ultra-nationalist British political party that campaigns against multiculturalism and what it describes as the Islamification of the country.
Its members frequently espouse extreme beliefs and have been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including provocative behavior at several mosques.
The verification move by Twitter is likely to trigger intense debate about the direction in which Musk is taking the platform with the overhaul of its content moderation and verification processes.
In April, the platform began to remove from accounts the legacy blue tick verification status previously reserved for accounts that were confirmed to belong to politicians, personalities, journalists and other public figures and organizations. The change is part of the company’s bid to generate revenue from a new, subscription-based verification model.
The platform also introduced a “state-affiliated” label for certain news organizations, prompting some media companies to quit the platform over concerns that it undermined their credibility and independence. The decision was later reversed.
In another U-turn, some high-profile users, including novelist Stephen King, basketball star LeBron James and former US President Donald Trump, regained their blue ticks after Musk announced he would be “paying for a few (subscriptions) personally.” Some of them had publicly criticized the subscription system and said they would not be paying. Several media organization also had their verification status reinstated without having to pay.
Twitter has also introduced a separate, free-of-charge gray tick for government-affiliated accounts and some multilateral organizations. The UN, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and US President Joe Biden, for example, now have the badge.
