"Morrison has been unmasked. His refusal to openly condemn Trump’s behaviour and legacy is the deliberate act of a weak, spineless and character-free Prime Minister. At a pivotal time in world history, Morrison retreated. He didn’t want to tell the truth for one reason – politics.” [Former press officer to Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser, Alistair Drysdale quoted in The New Daily, 16 January 2021]
Showing posts with label Donald Trump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donald Trump. Show all posts
Saturday 23 January 2021
Sunday 17 January 2021
January 2021 was the month that Australia discovered hard-right members of the Morrison Government were flirting with Donald Trump's MAGA mob
When 6 January 2021 saw a Trump-incited violent mob storm the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop formal verification of the Electoral College vote in the 2020 presidential election, Australia also discovered that some in Prime Minister Scott Morrison's circle of friends and colleagues had personal accounts on social media platforms - such as the now deplatformed Parler - where pro-Trump supporters, QAnon followers and white supremacists discussed insurrection, political assassination and the so-called 'stolen elections'.
People such as long-time family friend and QAnon enthusiast Tim Stewart and colleagues Senator for Queensland Matt Canavan and MP for Dawson George Christensen participated.
To make matters worse, federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly spouts dangerously incorrect information concerning medical treatment of COVID-19 infection via the House of Represetnatives' Hansard, Facebook and Twitter, which was "echoed" on Parler.
The Guardian, 11 January 2021:
…..The
treasurer and deputy Liberal leader, Josh Frydenberg, told reporters
on Monday he was “pretty uncomfortable” with decisions to ban
Trump because freedom of speech is “fundamental”.
Government MPs including National George Christensen and Liberal Craig Kelly have criticised social media for censoring Trump’s posts describing the mob who stormed the US Capitol as “very nice people”, arguing he’d also told them to go home “in peace”.
On Sunday, Christensen proposed laws to “stop social media platforms from censoring any and all lawful content created by their users”, an apparent reversal of his current policy on Facebook that “publishers have the right to remove content that goes against the rules or ethos of their publication”……
Kelly and Christensen have both argued that antifa members may have been present in the Capitol mob. Morrison has so far defended his MPs’ right to freedom of speech even in relation to false claims about the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s election.
Albanese told 2SM Radio that the “extremely dangerous” Capitol siege was prompted by “mistruths” and “encouraged by Donald Trump”.
He welcomed the moves by social media companies against Trump, saying: “It’s about time that people weren’t given a platform to spread hatred, to spread lies, which has had consequences for people.”
Albanese also argued Kelly had spread “conspiracy theories” about the treatment of Covid-19, over earlier misleading claims about the effectiveness of hyrdoxychloroquine.
“It’s got to be called out. I can’t understand how someone like Craig Kelly can be allowed to promote these theories, along with George Christensen and others, and remain a part of mainstream society.”
Albanese noted that Kelly, although a backbencher, is also chair of the parliamentary joint committee on law enforcement.
Earlier, Frydenberg said MPs were accountable to their electorates, and regardless of what they said or tweeted “they are democratically elected”.
Canberra Times, 15 January 2021
The argument over free speech has now extended into the farcical.
On Wednesday US time, during the discussion of failed US President Donald Trump's impeachment, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman and QAnon supporter, wore a mask with the word "censored" emblazoned across it.
She wore the mask while speaking in Congress - because apparently using the microphone to speak was not enough free speech for the conspiracy-loving politician.
Our own politicians are also promoting all brands of nonsense, humiliating Australians on the world stage.
Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack compared the powerful Black Lives matter movement to a band of violent fools storming the US Capitol last week, and was backed up by LNP senator Matt Canavan. Unloved backbencher Craig Kelly, the federal member for Hughes, continues to promote untested remedies for COVID-19 without a word of reprimand from his political masters. George Christensen, the member for Manila , promoted the falsehood that the invasion of the Capitol was a bunch of antifascists (Antifa) in disguise. Help me, God.....
Now Dave Sharma, the federal member for Wentworth, bangs on about free speech.
I don't think I can help either McCormack, Christensen or Kelly, who must be beholden to mystery interests - otherwise why would they behave so strangely? But Dave Sharma, former diplomat, should be another matter, right? Seems like a well-educated guy. Sharma said the deplatforming of Trump from Twitter and elsewhere was "chilling". And, more or less, be careful what you wish for.
The UN General Assembly adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1966. Basically, it says yeah, we all have the right to have an opinion, and to express ourselves freely. But - and this is quite a big but - when we exercise our freedoms, we also have to exercise our responsibilities. For example, that freedom may be "subject to certain restrictions", such as respect for the rights or reputations of others and "the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals"…...
BACKGROUND
Some of the "very nice people" approved of by members of the Morrison Government......
Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, media release excerpts:
15.01.21 - A retired Pennsylvania firefighter was charged yesterday and arrested today in Pennsylvania in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week.
Robert Sanford, 55, of Boothwyn, PA, was charged by criminal complaint with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly or disruptive conduct on capitol grounds, civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers while engaged in the performance of official duties.
It is alleged that during the events at the U.S. Capitol, Sanford struck three U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers with a fire extinguisher. A video, recorded by an individual who was present in the crowd, captures when a man throws what appears to be a fire extinguisher at a group of USCP officers protecting the lower west terrace of the Capitol.
The fire extinguisher struck one officer, who was wearing a helmet, in the head; then, the fire extinguisher ricochets striking a second officer, who was not wearing a helmet, in the head; and ricochets a third time and strikes a third officer, wearing a helmet, in the head. After throwing the fire extinguisher at USCP, Sanford leaves the area in the opposite direction. Federal authorities were able to identify Sanford, after receiving a tip on January 12.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.
The information contained in the charging documents are merely allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13.01.21 - Two off-duty Rocky Mount, Virginia police officers were charged yesterday in federal court in the District of Columbia in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson were charged by complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Both defendants were arrested on January 13, 2021, in Virginia. It is alleged that during the events at the U.S. Capitol, Fracker and Robertson were photographed in the Capitol building making an obscene gesture in front of the John Stark statue.
On social media, Robertson is quoted as saying, “CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.” He also stated that he was “proud” of the photo on an Instagram post that was shared to Facebook, because he was “willing to put skin in the game.” On Facebook, Fracker posted a comment that read, “Lol to anyone who’s possibly concerned about the picture of me going around... Sorry I hate freedom? …Not like I did anything illegal…y’all do what you feel you need to.” The post has since been deleted.
These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia. The cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.
The information contained in the charging documents are merely allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13.01.21 - Defendant, Richard Barnett, who was arrested on Jan. 8, 2021, was charged in an amended complaint yesterday with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without law authority; one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds; and one count of theft of public money, property, or records.
Additional complaints have been submitted in federal court and investigations are ongoing. As previously reported, approximately 40 individuals were arrested and charged in Superior Court with offenses including, but not limited to, unlawful entry, curfew violations, and firearms-related crimes.
The cases are being prosecuted by the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by: the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York; the FBI’s New York Field Office; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin; the FBI’s Milwaukee Field Office; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida; the FBI’s Tampa Field Office; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho; the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland; and the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10.01.21 - Two men were charged today in federal court in the District of Columbia in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
Larry Rendell Brock, of Texas, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Brock was arrested today in Texas.
It is alleged that Brock was identified as one of the individuals who unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol wearing a green helmet, green tactical vest with patches, black and camo jacket, and beige pants holding a white flex cuff, which is used by law enforcement to restrain and/or detain subjects.
Eric Gavelek Munchel, of Tennessee, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Munchel was arrested today in Tennessee.
It is alleged that Munchel was inside of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Photos depicting his presence show a person who appears to be Munchel carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cell phone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day.
These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. The cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the FBI’s Memphis Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.
The information contained in the charging documents are merely allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty......
Thursday 14 January 2021
Kevin Rudd: "Donald Trump may have lit the match that caused his country’s turmoil, but it was Rupert Murdoch who crammed the joint full of explosives"
Crikey, 12 January 2021:
 |
| SCOTT MORRISON AND DONALD TRUMP (IMAGE: AAP/MICK TSIKAS) |
Donald Trump may have lit the match that caused his country’s turmoil, but it was Rupert Murdoch who crammed the joint full of explosives.
His systematic manipulation and radicalisation of the American right-wing polity at large, and the Republican Party in particular, should ring alarm bells throughout our nation, including in the office of the prime minister.
Over the past 25 years, Murdoch has used his Fox News network to unite American conservatives under his banner and shift them from the centre right to the far right with an intoxicating diet of grievance-driven, race-fuelled identity politics.
By the time Trump announced his presidential campaign, these voters had been indoctrinated into a universe of “fake news”, “alternative facts” and elaborate conspiracy theories. The operational definition of fake news, in the eyes of the Trump presidency, became anything other than Fox News.
After some initial disagreements, Murdoch backed Trump all the way to the White House. And they kept in lockstep throughout the Trump presidency.
Trump would often repeat publicly the talking points he’d picked up from Fox. Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker, recommended booking interviews on Trump’s favourite shows as among the most effective ways of communicating directly with the Oval Office. And nothing delighted Murdoch’s swaggering ego, hard-right ideology and business tax interests more.
Fox covered up for Trump’s mistakes, trying desperately to keep track with his shifting claims about the mildness or severity of the coronavirus.
When Fox’s news reporters found nothing newsworthy in documents relating to Joe Biden’s son Hunter, Murdoch’s New York Post (under the watchful eye of his leading Australian henchman Col Allan) swooped in by pressuring junior reporters to put their names to its dubious front page story.
Like Trump, Murdoch’s news outlets also gave succour to the dangerous QAnon cult, with the devastating consequences witnessed in Washington last week.
It is now beyond time for Scott Morrison to stand up and denounce QAnon before it can fully take root here in Australia. Even if it strains the prime minister’s personal friendships with members of the far right, he should send the sort of crystal-clear signal that Trump proved himself unable to before it was too late.....
Read the full article here.
Personally, I believe it is too late to save Scott Morrison from himself. He lacks the ability for genuine self-examination.
Morrison was always attracted to Donald Trump, as one flimflam man often admires another more successful confidence trickster.
 |
| SNAPSHOT: Peter van Onselen |
Scotty from Marketing has clearly drunk the QAnon-Trump Kool Aid, wrapped himself in his personal closet racism, his foreign Legion of Merit medal and those evangelical & pentecostal contacts he appears to prize above the interests of the Australian nation, so that he is now willingly protecting those members of his own government who are just the sort of greedy, self-interested, ignorant crazies who have driven American society into the ground.
Monday 11 January 2021
All the social media platforms that have banned or restricted U.S. President J. Trump so far may have limited the reach of his venom, but this does not mean the violence he unleashed last week is over
"I think I wouldn't be here [as U.S. President] if I didn't have social media. The media is fake. And frankly if I didn't have social media I would have no way of getting out my voice." [Donald Trump during U.S. "60 Minutes" interview, October 2020]
Donald J. Trump appears to have had a presence on social media since at least 2008-09.
At the time he was reasonably well-known to US mainstream media, but outside of America his name was not as recognisable to the average person.
However it was only once Senator Barack Obama stood in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries and then became the Democratic candidate in the 56th American presidential election that the rest of the world began to really notice Trump.
However, much of the coverage of his views came second-hand in the mainstream media until May 2009.
By then Donald Trump had become a parody of his younger self, but did not at first glance appear to be highly dysfunctional. He came across as an eccentric and egotistical individual fond of conspiracy theories – especially if those theories supported his aversion to the idea of an African-American being President of the United States of America.
His open dislike of Barack Obama raised his own social media profile and he became adept at using Twitter and Facebook to express his personal world view.
Sometime between 2008 and 2012 Donald Trump began to flirt with the idea of running for US president himself, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he fully committed to the idea of standing in the Republican presidential primaries.
First as a political candidate and then in 2016 as president-elect Donald Trump was allowed a lot of latitude by social media platforms and he began to use social media as a weapon against all those he perceived as enemies.
There was so little pushback by management of the social media platforms that he frequented that by the time he became president I’m sure he saw himself as unassailable and, in many respects as the highest office holder in the United States he was.
In May 2020 his personal Twitter account reportedly had over 80 million followers, even though by then it was filled almost entirely with self-praise, blatant lies, insults, threats and political conspiracy allegations.
Then came his political defeat in the 2020 presidential election and a growing realisation that no matter how hard he tried he could not reverse the will of the people or the Electoral College votes.
It was then, when he thought he had nothing left to lose, that he became even more vengeful and recklessly destructive, setting in motion the events of 6 January 2021 when pro-Trump domestic terrorists violently forced their way into the US Congress in an effort to stop a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and Senate formally recording the Electoral College vote count that confirmed Joe Biden as the new president-elect who would be inaugurated on 20 January 2021.
Before that Wednesday ended the giants of the Internet began to show Donald J. Trump that even he could go too far and began to starve him of what political oxygen he had left.
First Twitter pulled the plug on his incitement of violence and sedition with a 12-hour suspension which quickly turned into the permanent expulsion of his account @realDonaldTrump. Then the list began to grow until 16 social media platforms/Internet services have slammed the door in his face, or the faces of his supporters, to date.
Axios, 7 January 2020:
Platforms are rapidly removing Donald Trump’s account or accounts affiliated with pro-Trump violence and conspiracies, like QAnon and #StoptheSteal.
Here is a running list:
REDDIT:
WHAT: Reddit has banned the subreddit group "r/DonaldTrump," a spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Friday.
COMMENT: "Reddit's site-wide policies prohibit content that promotes hate, or encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence against groups of people or individuals. In accordance with this, we have been proactively reaching out to moderators to remind them of our policies and to offer support or resources as needed," a spokesperson tells Axios.
CONTEXT: While not an official group or page hosted by the president, it's one of the company's largest political communities dedicated to support for President Trump.
TWITCH:
WHAT: Twitch disabled Trump's channel, citing the move as a "necessary step" to protect its community and "prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence."
COMMENT: “In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel. 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," a spokesperson told Axios.
CONTEXT: Twitch was one of the first platforms in June to temporarily ban Trump's channel for hateful content around the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.
SHOPIFY:
WHAT: Shopify took down two online stores affiliated with Trump — his organization and his campaign's merchandise sites — for violating its policies on supporting violence.
COMMENT: "Shopify does not tolerate actions that invite violence. Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause. As a result, we have terminated stores affiliated with President Trump." - a spokesperson told The Financial Times.
CONTEXT: Shopify had until Friday gone the farthest in actually de-platforming Trump, as his stores were permanently removed, not temporarily disabled.
TWITTER:
WHAT: Twitter announced Friday the platform will permanently ban President Trump's account effective immediately.
COMMENT: "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitter said in a statement.
CONTEXT: It's Twitter's strongest-ever action against the president's account and comes in response to the "risk of further incitement of violence," per the social media company.
GOOGLE:
WHAT: Google has pulled Parler, a social media app for conservatives and far-right extremists.
COMMENT: "In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence," a Google spokesperson said.
CONTEXT: Google’s move immediately suspends Parler, going further than Apple's earlier decision to remove the app unless it submits a content moderation plan.
YOUTUBE:
WHAT: YouTube is accelerating its enforcement of election misinformation and voter fraud claims against Trump and other channels.
COMMENT: "Due to the extraordinary events that transpired yesterday, and given that the election results have been certified, any channel posting new videos with these false claims in violation of our policies will now receive a strike, a penalty which temporarily restricts uploading or live-streaming. Channels that receive three strikes in the same 90-day period will be permanently removed from YouTube," Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesperson, told Axios.
CONTEXT: YouTube is typically slow to take action on bad content and accounts. Its response, while swift, was somewhat benign compared to competitors removing or disabling Trump's account. YouTube did remove the video Trump posted Wednesday that addressed the Capitol violence without fully condemning it.
FACEBOOK:
WHAT: Facebook banned Donald Trump from posting on his Facebook accounts for at least the next two weeks until the transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden is complete.
COMMENT: "We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post Thursday.
CONTEXT: On Wednesday, Facebook did remove the video Trump posted Wednesday addressing the violence without fully condemning it before taking greater action against Trump on Thursday.
INSTAGRAM:
WHAT: Instagram banned Donald Trump from posting on his Facebook accounts for at least the next two weeks until the transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden is complete.
COMMENT: "We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post Thursday.
CONTEXT: On Wednesday, Instagram's parent Facebook did remove the video Trump posted addressing the violence without fully condemning it before taking greater action against Trump on Thursday.
SNAPCHAT:
WHAT: Snapchat disabled Trump's Snapchat account Wednesday because it believes the account promotes and spreads hate and incites violence, a spokesperson said.
COMMENT: "We can confirm that earlier today we locked President Trump's Snapchat account," Snap spokesperson Rachel Racusen told Axios.
CONTEXT: Snapchat was one of the first major social platforms to take serious action on Trump's account for threats to democracy in June when the company said it stopped promoting his account in its "Discover" section, which features professional content and other prominent people.
TIKTOK:
WHAT: TikTok is removing content violations and redirecting hashtags like #stormthecapitol and #patriotparty to its community guidelines.
COMMENT: "Hateful behavior and violence have no place on TikTok. Content or accounts that seek to incite, glorify, or promote violence violate our Community Guidelines and will be removed," a TikTok spokesperson said.
CONTEXT: Other hashtags like #stopthesteal and #QAnon have been redirected since last year.
APPLE:
WHAT: Apple on Friday threatened to remove right-wing-friendly social media app Parler from its App Store if Parler doesn’t lay out a plan to moderate its content.
COMMENT: "We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property,” Apple wrote to Parler in an email obtained by BuzzFeed News. “The app also appears to continue to be used to plan and facilitate yet further illegal and dangerous activities.”
CONTEXT: Apple is flexing its power to try to get Parler to moderate its content. [on 10 January 2021 Apple suspended the Parler App from its online store. This means the app can no longer be downloaded to an iPhone]
DISCORD:
WHAT: Discord says it has banned server The Donald, per journalist Casey Newton.
COMMENT: "While there is no evidence of the server being used to organize the Jan 6 riots, Discord decided to ban the entire server today due to its overt connection to an online forum used to incite violence and plan an armed insurrection in the United States," per Mother Jones' Ali Breland.
CONTEXT: The Discord account was connected to the pro-Trump social network TheDonald.Win and the r/theDonald subreddit that was banned Friday.
PINTEREST:
WHAT: Pinterest has been limiting hashtags related to pro-Trump topics such as #StopTheSteal since around the November election, a spokesperson said.
COMMENT: "Pinterest isn’t a place for threats, promotion of violence or hateful content," a Pinterest spokesperson said. "Our team is continuing to monitor and removing harmful content, including misinformation and conspiracy theories that may incite violence.”
CONTEXT: Trump doesn't have a Pinterest account, and the platform has tried to stay away from political content, but Pinterest hasn't been able to squelch it completely.
The bottom line: Trump is quickly losing access to all the platforms where he once was able to spread his message freely, but groups of his supporters will still be able to gather online. [my red annotations]
Donald Trump joined Triller (an American video making & social networking platform) in mid-2020 but this site is yet to announce its position.
However, Twitch affiliate PornHub Update recently announced it too was banning Trump.
When Twitter removed Donald Trump’s personal account it appears to have cut off an est. 88,770,584 social media users from receiving his views directly into their timelines each day.
Gary Corby, the Trump campaign’s digital director tried to give Trump his account. Twitter promptly suspended him.
Twitter has also removed the Team Trump account and is selectively removing attempts by Donald Trump to place tweets on @POTUS which violate Twitter’s terms and conditions.
Individual Trump supporter accounts such as @linwoods, @FightBackLaw and @TheRISEofROD have been suspended for either spreading untruths about the 2020 presidential election or advocating lethal violence members of the US Congress.
According to Techcrunch, PayPal has been deactivating the accounts of some groups of Trump supporters since last week, who were using the money-transfer fintech to coordinate payments to underwrite the rioters’ actions on Capitol Hill. PayPal has been increasingly banning some political accounts, banning a far-right activist in 2019 and also banning a spate of far-right organizations in the wake of violent protests in Charlottesville in 2017. These bans so far do not appear to extend directly to the president himself.
Parler which apparently refuses to moderate its platform is also full of such threats - including incitement to assassinate the current US Vice-President for his perceived failure to support Donald Trump - according to Input. On Sunday 9 January 2021 alarmed at the proliferation of violent images and posts on this platform Amazon Web Services announced it would cut Parler from it cloud hosting as of 11:59pm, US Pacific Time (6pm Sydney Time, Monday 11 January 2021). Parler is then potentially offline for up to a week until it rebuild its website.
The naked violence that Donald Trump unleashed on 6 January which left five people dead is still a very real threat…….
"Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021." [Twitter Inc, 8 January 2021]
 |
| Parler, 6 January 2021 BACKGROUND |
Friday 8 January 2021
Donald Trump-incited insurrection did not stop the joint sitting of the US Senate & House of Representatives certification and counting of the electoral college votes in the 2020 presidential election
 |
A member of the large Trump-incited mob which forced its way into the U.S. Congress while it was in session on 6 January 2021. It was this individual who was part of a group which invaded the Senate Chamber and, who posed for photographs at the podium. Note the lethal tip to his flag-draped staff. |
A little before 8:24am on 7 January 2021 (Sydney, Australia time), outgoing President Donald J. Trump tweeted a one minute video of himself speaking to his political base in which he addressed the armed mob of domestic terrorists - who even then had been violently invading the U.S. Congress for over three hours - in words to the effect that they were good people, patriots.
Telling them "we love you, you're very special" - as he purported to call for "peace".
By that point on 6 January 2021 (Washington DC time) the scheduled joint sitting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives had been suspended and one person in this violent mob had been fatally shot by police and reportedly another three people in the building had died from other causes.
Finally, the social media platform Twitter reacted to the very real danger Donald Trump presented to the citizens of America and its democratic institutions…..
This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.
— Guy Rosen (@guyro) January 6, 2021
This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.
— Guy Rosen (@guyro) January 6, 2021
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 Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
Our public interest policy — which has guided our enforcement action in this area for years — ends where we believe the risk of harm is higher and/or more severe.
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
https://t.co/ZcbhDEAYjH
The Trump-incited insurrection in action on 6 January 2021.....
 |
| IMAGE: abc7 |
Pro-Trump mob invading the Capitol building....
 |
| IMAGE: Yahoo! News UK |
 |
| IMAGE: IrishTimes Capitol Hill security personnel attempting to keep the rampaging mob out of the House of Representatives chamber......  IMAGE: Twitter People in the House of Representatives chamber gallery sheltering from the mob....  IMAGE: abc7 Members of Congress fleeing the House chamber....  IMAGE: NBC News Despite the attempt to derail the joint sitting of both Houses convened to confirm the previously recorded electoral college votes (and it is rumoured an attempt by those domestic terrorists to steal the original electoral college vote forms) at 7.44pm on 7 January 2021 (Sydney, Australia time) the U.S. Congress confirmed that Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris are respectively President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States of America with a majority of 306 electoral votes each. The 46th inauguration of a duly-elected American president will proceed as planned on 20 January 2021. Unless Trump's terrorists take another lethally violent step. BACKGROUND President Trump Save America rally January 6: full comments |
https://youtu.be/8X0KIYInLHc
NOTE:
As is usual, Facebook was slower to respond to the unfolding danger.
According to The Guardian on 8 January 2021:
Donald Trump will be suspended from Facebook and Instagram indefinitely and at least until the end of his time in office, Mark Zuckerberg has said, as a consequence of his support for the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday.
The US president was initially suspended from the social network for 24 hours, as a result of two posts shared to the platform in which he appeared to praise the actions of the rioters.
In a post to Facebook on Thursday, Zuckerberg said the suspension would last much longer. “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Facebook’s chief executive wrote.
“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, 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.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
