Twitter, Facebook block Trump as violent clash in US Capitol results in four deaths

The United States on January 6 witnessed one of its darkest days in history after a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington DC in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. The act of insurrection resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries of several others.

Waving American flags and flags with signs which read “Stop the Steal,” thousands of pro-Trump protesters breached the East Front of the Capitol grounds, ratifying the joint session to certify the Electoral College results and declare President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. For weeks, Trump had been insisting that he shall not concede, demanding a halt to the peaceful transfer of power. Following the eruption of violence, Trump continued to post a series of misleading tweets, making false claims about election fraud. He also informed the mob that he loved them before asking them to leave in peace. 

Four people died while several were injured as a result of the clash. 52 arrests have also been made so far. Severely criticizing the incident, Vice President Mike Pence stated, “We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place.”

Meanwhile, Republican senator and one of Trump’s staunch allies, Lindsay Graham, acknowledged Biden’s victory in the midst of the chaos. “I prayed Joe Biden would lose. He won. He’s the legitimate president of the United States. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the president and vice president of the United States on January 20th.” Senator Mitt Romney accused Trump of inciting the insurrection.

“We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy,” he said in a press release.

While Facebook has suspended Trump from posting for 24 hours, Twitter locked him out of his account for 12 hours, stating that it required the removal of three tweets for “severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.” Twitter also reportedly mentioned that if the tweets were not removed, Trump’s account would remain locked for good. In a similar statement, Facebook mentioned that it removed Trump’s messages because they increased the risk of violence. Facebook-owned app Instagram locked the President’s account for 24 hours as well. 

“As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” Twitter posted in a series of tweets. “Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account,” the company further warned Trump.

Leaders across the world, including Prime Minister Modi, condemned the incident that will certainly go down as one of the most disgraceful events in the history of the country. PM Modi tweeted, “Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests.” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among the first leaders to condemn the attack. “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,” he stated.

 

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