Why Did Twitter Block ‘IStandWithPhil.com? ‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Phil Robertson Speaks Out On A&E Controversy

Phil Robertson is on an indefinite hiatus from “Duck Dynasty,” which has unleashed the fiercest controversy in A&E's history. The star of their No. 1 hit show voiced his beliefs on homosexuality, which some considered extremely offensive, in an interview with GQ.

In a backlash against the suspension, Robertson’s supporters set up “IStandWithPhil.com,” a petition to get A&E to put him back on the show and issue an apology, but with hundreds of thousands trying to get him reinstated, social media giant Twitter has blocked the hashtag IStandWithPhil.com from their site.

If a tweet with “IStandWithPhil.com” inside it tries to be posted, the following message will come up from Twitter: “Oops! A URL in your Tweet appears to link to a page that has spammy or unsafe content.” Even after multiple tries, a tweet that contained “IStandWithPhil.com” would not go through.

Chris Stone, founder of a group called Faith Driven Consumer, wants Robertson supporters to try to get IStandWithPhil.com back on Twitter. “Despite Twitter’s shut down of iStandWithPhil.com, we are surging through 200,000 supporters. In recent days, iStandWithPhil.com is among the top trending hash tags on Twitter,” Stone said, in a statement quoted by Variety. “We’re encouraging supporters to be heard, Tweet the @support or @twitter account, and use their other means of communication to get iStandWithPhil.com back online.”

Stone and his Christian-backed website are just one of the groups who are trying to rally support for the “Duck Dynasty” star. Though he remained relatively quiet in the beginning, Robertson hasn’t backed down from what he said about homosexuality. During an interview with Daily Mail the Robertson patriarch, 67, said he was just quoting the Bible.

"I love all men and women," he told the British news site. "I am a lover of humanity, not a hater."

"All I did was quote from the Scriptures, but they just didn't know it," he said about his anti-gay comments. "Whether I said it, or they read it, what's the difference? The sins are the same, humans haven't changed."