Far-left groups, including racial activists and socialists, used Facebook to organize 14 protests in eight days over the outcome of the Derek Chauvin trial. The site previously sheltered far-left Antifa-related activist organizations such as “All Out DC” that reportedly spread posters with the personal information of Fox News host Tucker Carlson, in an effort to “Block the Alt-Right.” Smash Racism DC allegedly broke Carlson’s door and frightened his wife. Both pages remain functional on Facebook.
The company said it will “remove posts that would lead to civil unrest.” However, that has been poorly enforced.
Facebook allowed far-left groups to organize protests on its platform despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the high likelihood of protests devolving into riots. “If the unthinkable happens... if Derek Chauvin is acquitted of the murder of George Floyd, which the whole world witnessed on those videos... well, there will be hell to pay,” The People vs. Derek Chauvin: Verdict - Emergency Response - Date TBD event page warned. “[A]nd we will take to the streets in our rage at a system that is incapable of delivering any justice to Black people.” The event page listed nine days of protests from April 20 to April 28.
The same event page referred to former police officer Chauvin as “the first of the 4 killer cops to stand trial for the murder of George Floyd.” The page included a vow: “We will not rest until we see all four of George Floyd’s killers taken off the streets, and our communities have the power to decide who polices our communities and how our communities are policed.”
Radical leftist groups are listed on the event page as hosts organizing the multi-day series of protests over the trial of Chauvin. The Facebook page for Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Twin Cities described the organization as a “revolutionary socialist and Marxist-Leninist organization in the United States” in its About section. CAIR Minnesota has served as an offshoot of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was one of 82 groups around the world designated terrorist organizations by the United Arab Emirates,” Fox News observed. “[This places] it in the company of Al Qaeda, Islamic State and others.” Black Lives Matter Minnesota has also been involved.
Facebook announced in a recent company blog that it would be at least attempting to remove posts that would lead to civil unrest in the wake of the verdict. “We will remove content that violates our Community Standards, including our policies against hate speech, bullying and harassment, graphic violence, and violence and incitement,” the blog explained. “We want to strike the right balance between allowing people to speak about the trial and what the verdict means, while still doing our part to protect everyone’s safety. We will allow people to discuss, critique and criticize the trial and the attorneys involved.”
Facebook has a history of turning a blind eye as far-left groups organize civil unrest.
Facebook refused to take action even after being contacted about what major media described as violent groups such as Rose City Antifa organizing alleged political violence. Facebook did not follow through on its commitment to reduce political unrest during the 2020 election.
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