Twitter suspends several alt-right accounts

Twitter has suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the so-called "alt-right."

The social media company declined to comment on the move other than to point to its policies forbidding violent threats, hate speech or harassment.

Short for alternative right, alt-right is a loose term for a group often associated with far right efforts to preserve "white identity," oppose multiculturalism and defend "Western values," according to The Associated Press.

Richard Spencer, head of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist think tank, was one user whose personal Twitter account was suspended. Credited for popularizing the term alt-right, Spencer claims he's never called for violence and hasn't tweeted anything recently that might provoke a suspension.

Read more from The Associated Press.