Locsin's Twitter locked for tweeting activists are communists who should be shot

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the Philippines' top diplomat and an active Twitter user, might have some of his account features limited as his social media account has been locked, according to an activist whose group he said should be shot.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. posted a screenshot of a notification from Twitter Support after reporting Locsin's tweet against the group.

"Teddyboy Locsin, DFA secretary, has his Twitter account locked for this offensive and threatening tweet accusing Bayan as communists that deserve to be shot," Reyes tweeted Monday morning.

Locsin's last tweet was at 6:39 p.m. on Sunday.

A few days ago, the DFA chief reacted to an article where Bayan questioned why the Balikatan exercises would push through in May despite the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States.

For context, Locsin was reacting to Bayan’s statement on the Balikatan war games. I was quoted in the news article. “These are fucking communists! You don’t listen to them. You shoot them.” Galing yan sa DFA secretary ha. Intolerant of differing opinions.

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) March 9, 2020

"These are fucking Communists. You shoot them. You don't listen to them," Locsin tweeted March 5.

Membership in Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or in activist groups associated with it does not mean membership in or even support for the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Account locked

This tweet, however, is no longer available as it had violated Twitter rules.

Under Twitter rules: "If a Tweet was found to be in violation of our rules, and has yet to be deleted by the person who Tweeted it, we will hide it behind a notice. The account will remain locked until the Tweet is removed."

If an account has been found to have violated Twitter rules, the user can still browse the feed site but will have limited access.

This means that Locsin can still send direct messages to his followers but will not be able to tweet, retweet or like other tweets.

"Repeat violations of the Twitter Rules may lead to permanent suspension," Twitter said on its Help Center.

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