Better in their words…

On Thursday, April 21st, Libs of TikTok, an anonymous account whose identity was recently revealed by the Washington Post, posted screenshots of another tweet showing a post calling for her assassination.

The post also revealed that Twitter deemed that the threatening post did not violent the platforms’ user guidelines. Tagging Twitter Safety in the post, Libs of TikTok tweeted:

“Apparently threatening to assassinate someone doesn’t violate Twitter’s policies. But conservatives get suspended for stating biological facts.”

One of the tweets that Libs Of TikTok shared said:

“ASSASSINATION MODE ACTIVATED; ACTIVATION WORD LIBS OF TIKTOK; TARGET: [ALLEGED ACCOUNT OPERATOR’S NAME]; BEGIN OPERATION.”

The tweet also included a video of various guns being reloaded and assembled by people in all-black tactical gear. Libs of TikTok included a second photo, which was of the response the account received from Twitter Support after reporting the tweet:

“Hello, Thanks for reaching out. We’ve reviewed the content and didn’t find a violation of our policies, so no action will be taken at this time.”

Twitter’s violent threats policy very clearly states that it forbids “threatening to kill someone” on its platform.

The assassination threat and post comes just days after an article in the Washington Post written by Taylor Lorenz who revealed the operator behind the Libs of TikTok account, including private work details and address.

Reportedly, that link was later deleted and the Washington Post released a statement claiming they didn’t “publish or link to any details about her personal life.” The entire statement is below:

“Taylor Lorenz is an accomplished and diligent journalist whose reporting methods comport entirely with The Washington Post’s professional standards. Chaya Raichik, in her management of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account and in media interviews, has had significant impact on public discourse and her identity had become public knowledge on social media. We did not publish or link to any details about her personal life.”

The New York Post reported that Lorenz defender her decision to reveal the woman’s identity, tweeting:

“Reporters make phone calls, send messages, show up places, and knock on doors when reporting out a story.”

She added:

“I reported this story out extensively, using every tool I had, to ensure I had the correct woman.”

In response to criticism that she targeted a private citizen who wished to remain anonymous, Lorenz tweeted that the social media user, “isn’t just some average woman with a social media account” but is instead a “powerful influencer operating a massively impactful right wing media shaping discourse around LGBTQ+ rights.”

Another woman with the same name, Chaya Raichik also took to social media stating on Instagram that since the Washington Post article, she has been harassed and that her family is terrified. People began attacking her online, believing and assuming that she is the same person as the one behind Libs of TikTok.

One comment on her account allegedly said:

“You are what’s wrong with this world. You’re vile and disgusting. Your children should be taken away from you and put in a safer home. May you rot in (expletive).”

Other comments included her being called a “Nazi scum,” someone saying, “your [sic] so disgusting we will find you evil trump supporter,” and “you are (expletive) bigoted trash. Your children should be ashamed of you.”