Facebook oversight board on Wednesday has upheld the ban placed on the accounts owned by former US President Donald Trump on its platform over concerns of incitement of violence.
Facebook had indefinitely banned Trump from accessing his Facebook and Instagram accounts following his comments on the January 6 invasion of the US Capitol.
Following the ouster of the former president, Facebook referred the case to its independence board — the Facebook oversight board, to decide whether Trump would be permanently banned or not.
The Facebook oversight board was established last year to serve as a “Supreme court”, where users can appeal the decision of the platform to remove their posts or users who want to challenge other sensitive and contentious moderation decisions.
While announcing the decision, the board stated that the ban of Trump would set precedent on how social media platforms should handle harmful content from world leaders.
The board further stated that the decision was reached to blow Trump’s hope of posting on his Facebook or Instagram accounts anytime soon.
“Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr. Trump’s accounts on January 6 and extending that suspension on January 7,” the board said in its decision.
The board said that Trump created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible through his comments on the invasion of the Capitol and constantly maintaining a narrative that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
The board further stated that the decision focused on some posts made by the former president which supported the hoodlums who invaded the Capitol which include: “We love you. You’re very special,” and the other calling hoodlums who invaded the Capitol “great patriots,” saying “remember this day forever.”
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