Facebook and Twitter block Trump for breaking rules

US President Donald Trump is seen on TV from a video message released on Twitter addressing rioters at the US Capitol, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2020. PHOTO | AFP

Summary

• The sanctions came after the president took to social media to issue a series of false claims — including in a short video — about the election he lost to Joe Biden having been stolen from him.

By AFP

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San Francisco

Facebook barred US President Donald Trump from posting Wednesday over messages it said were promoting violence as his supporters stormed the US Capitol — following a similar stand taken by Twitter.

The sanctions came after the president took to social media to issue a series of false claims — including in a short video — about the election he lost to Joe Biden having been stolen from him.

"We made the decision that on balance these posts contribute to, rather than diminish, the risk of ongoing violence," Facebook said.

The California-based social media giant said it was handing Trump "a 24-hour feature block" preventing him from posting.

Twitter blocked Trump earlier on Wednesday and threatened a permanent ban for breaking its own rules with his false claims about the election.