Twitch joins Facebook, Instagram on banning Donald Trump; Twitter allows him back
Jan 08, 2021
Washington [US], January 8 : Popular gaming platform Twitch has banned indefinitely Donald Trump's official channel on its platform, following the storming of Capitol Hill by supporters of the outgoing US President.
"In light of yesterday's shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump's Twitch channel," the company said in a statement according to CNN.
"Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President's incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence," the live-streaming platform said.
The San Francisco-based company is the latest among social media and tech platforms that have launched a crackdown on Trump after the president's supporters breached the Capitol Hill building bringing to a halt the congressional debate to certify Electoral College votes of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' win in the November 3 presidential elections. The chaos forced a lockdown and confrontations with police. Several police officers sustained injuries, while one woman was confirmed dead after being shot in the chest.
Before the violence, President Trump had falsely told supporters in Washington that the election had been stolen.
Facebook on Thursday suspended US President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely, while Twitter had on Wednesday said Trump's account will be blocked unless he deletes three tweets.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook, in a post on the social networking website wrote that the account blocks have been placed indefinitely and "for at least two weeks until the peaceful transfer of power is complete."
He pointed out that the risks of allowing the President to continue to use the service during this period are "simply too great." "We are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete, he wrote. Twitter said Trump's account will be locked until he deletes three tweets which the company said were. "severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy". The company later confirmed that his account has been restored after he removed the tweets.
It however said that "Any future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account."
Trump returned to Twitter with 'election fraud' rhetoric".
"My campaign vigorously pursued every legal avenue to contest the legal result. My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote; I was fighting to defend American democracy. I continue to believe that we must defend our election laws to verify the identity and eligibility of all voters and to ensure faith and confidence in all future elections," posted Trump on a Twitter video.
Conceding his defeat for the first time, he said, "Now Congress has certified election results, a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20. My focus is now turning to ensure a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation."
