Facebook Calls Capitol Rioting A “Disgrace,” But Won’t Block Trump’s Account
Facebook condemned the violent riots at the US Capitol on Wednesday, but stopped short of saying President Trump would be blocked from the social media platform.
“The violent protests in the Capitol today are a disgrace,” said Facebook spokesman Andy Stone in a statement to CNN. “We prohibit incitement and calls for violence on our platform. We are actively reviewing and removing any content that breaks these rules.”
Facebook’s policies on incitement do not carry exemptions or loopholes for elected officials, Stone added.
In accordance with Facebook’s approach to content labeling, users who attempt to share Trump’s labeled posts must click through an interstitial prompt.
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But Facebook’s decision not to suspend Trump, at least for now, is likely to generate more criticism from groups such as the Anti-Defamation League. The group on Wednesday called for Trump’s removal from social media platforms over his role in fomenting violence.
Despite the statement, Facebook has not removed Trump’s post suggesting Vice President Mike Pence lacked the “courage to do what should have been done.”
It also has not removed Trump’s latest video message to supporters.
