Twitter has blocked users from linking to a website supporting Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson after his scathing remarks about homosexuality last week.
The site iStandwithPhil.com has been flagged, which means tweets containing links to the page are prohibited.
The action is the latest development in the ongoing war surrounding Robertson’s comments in the January 2014 issue of GQ Magazine, which saw him immediately dumped from the hit A&E show.
The website, run by the organization Faith Driven Consumer, is petitioning A&E to reinstate Robertson and formally apologize to his family and his fans for removing him from future filming. It has collected more than 202,868 signatures since Friday, storming past its goal of 200,000.
The Christian group complained that Twitter has blocked users from tweeting about the petition and that the move ‘marks at least the third major shutdown of a pro-Phil Robertson social media account since the story broke days ago.’
Twitter wouldn’t comment about why the site has been flagged though it generally only takes such action if it has received complaints.
‘We’re called to follow God’s word, and (Phil) just simply recited God’s word,’ Faith Driven Consumer’s Chris Stone told Hollywood Reporter.
‘Anyone who tries to censor that or to exclude that is doing the exact same things that they are claiming is happening to them. It’s censorship. It’s intolerance. It’s discrimination. All we are asking for on behalf of Phil is that he be allowed to freely express his religious views, and those views are not far out on the fringe. They really are in the mainstream of American culture and world culture. This goes back thousands of years.’
Meanwhile, a Facebook page called ‘Boycott A&E Until Phil Robertson Is Put Back on Duck Dynasty’ has garnered more than 1.7 million likes and another called ‘Boycott A&E and Support Phil Robertson’ has more than 15,000 likes.
A petition on Change.org titled ‘A&E Network: Bring Phil Robertson back!’ has more than 116,600 signers.
