New York (AFP)
Facebook's supervisory board decided on Wednesday to uphold the group's decision to ban former US President Donald Trump from posting messages on his Facebook page and Instagram account.
The supervisory board believes, however, that it was "not appropriate for Facebook to impose" a sanction of indefinite duration and asks it to "reconsider the arbitrary decision imposed on January 7" in the next six months, a- he added in a press release.
The supervisory board, whose decisions are binding, ruled that the former tenant of the White House "had created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible" with its comments on January 6, the day of the assault on the Capitol. .
"At the time of the publication of Mr. Trump's messages, there was a clear and immediate risk of harm and his words of support for those involved in the riots legitimized their violent actions," he said.
As president, Mr. Trump wielded a strong influence, they also argued.
“The reach of his posts was significant, with 35 million followers on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram,” he continued.
The Council also made policy recommendations to be implemented by Facebook "to develop clear, necessary and proportionate policies that promote public safety and respect freedom of expression".
Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows condemned the move, saying it would have a chilling effect on free speech and calling for tighter regulation or a dismantling of the group.
"It's a sad day for America, it's a sad day for Facebook," he told Fox News.
Facebook had banned the former US president from its platform the day after the invasion of Congress in January by a crowd of his supporters, during the certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the election of November 2020.
The Californian group had previously tolerated many messages from the Republican billionaire deemed problematic by large sections of society, and even internally.
But on January 7, the network had finally suspended "until further notice" the losing candidate for violating its rules on incitement to violence, including in a video where he expressed his support for the rioters.
© 2021 AFP