Twitter blocks link to pro-Phil Robertson petition, issues apology

After Phil Robertson fans accused the site of censorship, Twitter has restored users’ ability to link to a website supporting the suspended Duck Dynasty star and issued a apology.

Twitter users who tried to link to “IStandWithPhil.com” on Monday received a message saying, “Oops! A URL in your Tweet appears to link to a page that has spammy or unsafe content.”

The site is home to a petition supporting Robertson that has already received more than 211,000 signatures. He was suspended by A&E after making derogatory remarks about homosexuality during an interview with GQ magazine.

The organization behind the petition, Faith Driven Consumer, said that it believed the block was intentional and also claimed that Twitter had previously blocked links to a pair of other pro-Robertson social media campaigns.

"I am writing to you regarding your network's intolerant, discriminatory, and punitive treatment of Mr. Phil Robertson, star of A&E's #1 hit show, Duck Dynasty," the petition reads.

"Mr. Robertson’s comments in GQ Magazine are simply reflective of a Biblical view of sexuality, marriage, and family -- a view that has stood the test of time for thousands of years and continues to be held by the majority of Americans and today’s world as a whole."

“The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by an outside organization that tracks spam sources. We have restored access and apologize for the error,” Twitter said in a statement.

[The Wrap] [FaithDrivenConsumer]