To reiterate: There’s no justifying what happened at the U.S. Capitol building last Wednesday, when a fringe element on the Right sparked a riot that culminated in the completely preventable deaths of a police officer and an Air Force veteran (three others also died of nonviolent health events) while also unfairly tarnishing the reputation of tens of millions of law-abiding patriotic voters. That said, just as it’s hardly too much to ask for free and fair elections, it’s hardly too much to request a level playing field when it comes to both media coverage of violence and Big Tech’s policing antics on social media.

Even Democrat lawmakers have advocated for what amounts to violence, but we’ll focus specifically on Twitter’s dubious censorship here. The social media platform has banned President Donald Trump and suspended more than 70,000 QAnon-linked accounts. Yet as recently as May 28, 2020, ex-NFL quarterback-turned-social justice warrior Colin Kaepernick enabled last summer’s George Floyd riots when he tweeted: “When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. … We have the right to fight back!”

In case you’re wondering, Twitter — despite stipulating that "You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people" and that “We also prohibit the glorification of violence” — has not censored this tweet. Maybe that’s because, as Paulina Enck points out, “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey donated $3 million to Kaepernick’s organization.”

Moreover, on June 1, 2020, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris likewise enabled mayhem when she tweeted, “If you’re able to, chip in now to the [Minnesota Freedom Fund] to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.” Those people “protesting on the ground” were in reality people jailed for breaking the law, whether it be via looting or violence. And no, Twitter hasn’t censored that tweet either.

Perhaps the most glaring example of hypocrisy comes in the form of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who is permitted carte blanche when spewing hatred toward Israel and the West in general. His recent tweets include:

• “Following the insults to the #Prophet, the Islamic nation is filled with rage & objections. From the east to the west of the Islamic world, many Muslim officials & people have defended the Islamic identity & Prophet’s noble personage, which shows the Muslim communities’ vitality.”

• “Today, the main enemies of Islam are the Arrogant Powers & Zionism. The last manifestation of their enmity was the Paris incident. It is not just about one caricaturist committing a wrongdoing. Arrogant Powers & Zionism support this. That’s why they speak in defense of such acts.”

• “Palestine will be free, while the fake Zionist regime will perish. There’s no doubt about this.”

• “Those who ordered the murder of General Soleimani as well as those who carried this out should be punished. This revenge will certainly happen at the right time.”

You don’t even need to read between the lines to understand that these remarks “threaten violence against an individual or a group of people” and represent “the glorification of violence.” By the way, a recent Disrn headline provides another interesting juxtaposition: “Iran moves to criminalize sexual misconduct, violence against women.” Read that again and consider that the man who runs a country that still hasn’t outlawed violence against women has a bigger voice on Twitter than the president of the United States.