Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been banned indefinitely
New Delhi:
Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been blocked indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks after his supporters stormed the United States Capitol on Thursday. “The shocking events of the past 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and legal transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” said today the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.
“We believe that the risks of allowing the President to continue using our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block that we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two. weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete, “Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook page.
Twitter also deleted several tweets from Trump that repeated his numerous false claims about fraud and other irregularities in the elections that he lost to Joe Biden.
“Your decision to use your platform to condemn rather than condemn the actions of your supporters in the Capitol Building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world. We removed these statements yesterday because we judge that your effect and probably its intention – would be to provoke more violence, “said Zuckerberg.
Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Thursday (AFP)
“Following the certification of the election results by Congress, the priority for the entire country must now be to ensure that the remaining 13 days and the days after the inauguration pass peacefully and in accordance with established democratic norms,” said the CEO. From Facebook.
“In recent years, we have allowed President Trump to use our platform in accordance with our own rules, sometimes removing content or tagging his posts when they violate our policies. We did so because we believe the public is entitled to the widest access Possible political speech, even controversial speech. But the current context now is fundamentally different, involving the use of our platform to incite a violent insurrection against a democratically elected government, “Zuckerberg said.
Hours after the mob violence on Capitol Hill, the United States Congress formally certified Joe Biden as the next president, dealing a heavy blow to Trump. Lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives successfully rejected Republican efforts to deny Biden the electoral votes necessary to win, prompting loud applause when the certification was announced.
The claim of Biden’s 306-232 victory over Trump in November essentially closes the door to the incomparable and deeply controversial effort by Trump and his loyalists to overturn the 2020 election results.
During the crowd violence on Capitol Hill, police said a Southern California woman was shot and killed and three other people died in the area in circumstances that were unclear.
With contributions from AFP
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