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Tweet to Dragons winger Ashton Hewitt the reason for Katie Hopkins' Twitter ban

By Josh Raisey
(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Dragons winger Ashton Hewitt has revealed that he was the reason why outspoken columnist Katie Hopkins was permanently removed from Twitter recently. The controversial commentator, who had 1.1 million followers, made headlines last week after receiving the ban. 

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25-year-old Dragons player Ashton shared a Tweet on Tuesday, saying: “Didn’t realise I was actually the reason for Katie Hopkins getting suspended from Twitter.”

It has since been revealed by Hopkins that she was banned by the social media platform for a comment she made on a post by Hewitt about her. In response, a statement from Twitter said:

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Ashton Hewitt took on Leicester’s Ellie Genge in the recent RugbyPass Fifa football tournament

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Ashton Hewitt took on Leicester’s Ellie Genge in the recent RugbyPass Fifa football tournament

“Keeping Twitter safe is a top priority for us – abuse and hateful conduct have no place on our service and we will continue to take action when our rules are broken. In this case, the account has been permanently suspended for violations of our hateful conduct policy.”

The Tweet in question is this one by the winger: 

Hewitt then shared the comment that Hopkins made: 

The son of a Welsh mother and a British Jamaican father, Hewitt has been vocal on social media during the Black Lives Matter movement – although he had not directly clashed with Hopkins before. Hopkins also shared a video to explain her comment, saying it was “a script reference from Blackadder”. 

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Hewitt told the BBC Scrum V podcast earlier this month he is not prepared to put up with racism anymore. “I have, and I am sure many young players from ethnic backgrounds have, put up with what is seen as banter and seen it as nothing,” he said.

“I have been through that in my career. As I delve through deeper issues in history and what comes behind certain stereotypes, I see the importance of addressing it and not letting those stereotypes continue. I have been guilty of letting things slide, but at the time I did not think too much of it.

“When I was younger I did not feel I had the confidence to cause an upset in a predominantly white environment. Since I have got older and more educated on the history of racism, I have taken a view it can’t be acceptable.”

 

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Jon 13 minutes ago
Why Sam Cane's path to retirement is perfect for him and the All Blacks

> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.

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