Facebook blasted by civil rights leaders over Donald Trump riot post
Facebook has been accused of setting a “dangerous precedent” after refusing to remove a post from US President Donald Trump that has been widely condemned for inciting violence.
Trump’s post, which referred to protests against the killing of George Floyd in police custody last week, was flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence”.
But Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg said his platform would leave the post up, arguing: “We should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies.”
Following a meeting with Zuckerberg, three civil rights leaders last night issued a scathing statement condemning the tech boss’ decision.
In a joint statement they said they were “disappointed and stunned by Mark’s incomprehensible explanations for allowing the Trump posts to remain up”.
“He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters. Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook.”
The statement was signed by Vanita Gupta, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change. It was posted online by Axios.
In a Facebook post yesterday Zuckberg said he condemned racism. However, his approach to tackling misinformation and harmful material has diverged from that of Jack Dorsey, who leads Silicon Valley rival Twitter.
A Facebook spokesperson said: “We’re grateful that leaders in the civil rights community took the time to share candid, honest feedback with Mark and Sheryl. It is an important moment to listen, and we look forward to continuing these conversations.”
Zuckerberg’s failure to take action against Trump’s post has already sparked a backlash among Facebook employees, some of whom staged a “virtual walkout” yesterday in protest at the decision.
Twitter’s decision to hide Trump’s post and fact check a previous tweet about mail-in voting has sparked a fierce row between the president and Silicon Valley.
Trump last week signed an executive order aimed at weakening social media firms’ legal protections after accusing them of “silencing conservative voices”.