SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 8, 2021 (AFP) – Facebook has banned President Donald Trump from the platform “indefinitely” due to his efforts to incite violence at the US Capitol, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday.
Zuckerberg said a one-day ban imposed on Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram was extended because of Trump’s “use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government.”
The announcement came the day after the outgoing US leader was locked out of all major social media platforms due to his false claims about the legitimacy of his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, and for inciting the angry mob that stormed the US Capitol.
“We believe the risks of allowing the president to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page.
“Therefore, we are extending the block 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.”
Trump’s favorite megaphone, Twitter, blocked him for 12 hours and threatened a permanent suspension of his account if he continued breaking its rules.
The president returned to Twitter late Thursday, posting a video message that seemed aimed at calming tensions after the mahem caused by his supporters, although Trump did not go so far as to congratulate or even say the name of his successor, Biden.
“To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country,” Trump said.
Twitter said it was “continuing to evaluate the situation in real-time, including examining activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter” to determine whether more enforcement action is warranted.
Meanwhile, Amazon-owned gamer-centric platform Twitch disabled new video streams on a Trump account, while video-sharing sensation TikTok barred clips of Trump inciting supporters at the rally, according to media reports.
