Facebook made a point to take down protest pages during the shutdowns. But it doesn’t seem to want to do the same for the leftist protests occurring in 16 states.
“Events that defy government's guidance on social distancing aren't allowed on Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson told the BBC in April. Meanwhile, 16 states and 25 cities have imposed a curfew, in an attempt to dissuade the often violent protests and riots breaking out in cities across the country.
In places like Washington, D.C., curfew started at 11 p.m. and ended at 6 a.m. However, that didn’t seem to stop groups like Smash Racism D.C., which had posted a Facebook post, “Let's keep it up, won't stop,” along with a screenshot of a Twitter announcement about a “keep the streets party.”
On Instagram, All Out DC advertised a May 30 event called the “Moving Protest.” According to local website DCist, the caravan started out peacefully, but after 11 p.m., a vehicle was set on fire and “demonstrators” began to smash windows.
All Out DC later posted, “We have received word of a second protest at the White House Tonight at 5. Be prepared, stay safe, and bring a buddy!” Black Lives Matter DC posted, “We reject DCs attempts to criminalize protesters and the notion of a peaceful protest.”
The Sunday protest quickly turned into what seemed like a riot. On the night of May 31 and the early morning of June 1, according to The Washington Post, more than 1,000 people marched to Lafayette Square. The protest quickly turned into a riot, according to The Post: “American flags and parked cars and buildings were lit ablaze — including St. John’s Church, a historic landmark opened in 1816 and attended by every president since James Madison. Firefighters quickly extinguished the basement fire, which police said was intentionally set.”
The Media Research Center reached out to Facebook, but received no comment as of this writing.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted his support for the protest movement, saying, “To help in this fight, I know Facebook needs to do more to support equality and safety for the Black community through our platforms.” He also announced that his company was committing to donating $10 million to “groups working on racial justice.”
Smash Racism DC was a group responsible for the incident in front of Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s house and allegedly threatening his wife.
President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” Pages like Antifa International, with 17,900 followers, and the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club, with 6,285 followers, still remain on the platform.
