Donald Trump‘s Facebook and Instagram accounts have been suspended “indefinitely”, or at least until Joe Biden replaces him as president on 20 January.
The move comes after a mob of Trump supporters managed to force their way into the Capitol building yesterday following a rally to contest the results of November’s election.
Announcing the ban, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg condemned the “shocking events” in Washington DC.
He said in a statement: “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.”
The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining…
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, January 7, 2021
“The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Zuckerberg said.
He added: “His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world. We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect — and likely their intent — would be to provoke further violence.”
Concluding the message, Zuckerberg said: “The risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.”
His Twitter account has also been suspended for 12 hours in the wake of last night’s violence in the U.S. capital.
Before the ban was enforced, Trump posted a video message on his social media accounts telling his protesters “I love you” and that they were “very special”, before then asking them to leave Washington D.C. and go home.
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt,” Trump said, before repeating his false claims of electoral fraud. “We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side.
“But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.”
Figures from across the entertainment world have been sharing their reaction to yesterday’s riot at the Capitol on social media, including the likes of St. Vincent, actor Edward Norton and Cardi B.
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