violent militias, the company said
Facebook removed the page of the far-right group Patriot Prayer and the personal page of its founder, Joey Gibson, during a crackdown on “violent social militias.” (Johannes Berg/Bloomberg)
September 5, 2020 at 4:14 a.m. GMT+6
Facebook took down the pages of the far-right group Patriot Prayer and its founder, Joey Gibson, on Friday as protests involving the group continue in Portland, Ore.
Patriot Prayer has become an extreme example of a divisive and radicalized domestic political organization in the past few years, experts told The Washington Post. A supporter of the group was fatally shot in Portland last weekend during protests and skirmishes between the group and some Black Lives Matter activists.
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The social media company said it removed the pages as part of an attempt to shut down more pages that lead to real-world violence. Gibson’s Instagram account was also removed.
Fears of further unrest after Portland shooting, as police reveal few details
“They were removed as part of our ongoing efforts to remove Violent Social Militias from our platform,” Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said.
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Stone said Gibson’s personal account was removed because of its connection to Patriot Prayer, and it might be allowed to return if the page was unconnected to that group.
Gibson disputed Facebook’s decision in an emailed statement.
“Antifa groups murdered my friend while he was walking home, and instead of the multibillion dollar company banning Portland antifa pages they ban Patriot Prayer, Joey Gibson, and several other grandmas that are admins,” he said.
A man suspected in the shooting who was a vocal proponent of the far-left antifa movement was killed in a confrontation with law enforcement this week.
What video analysis of the Aug. 29 Portland shooting tells us
Facebook has also cracked down on pages belonging to supporters of the conspiracy theory QAnon, though it did not issue an outright ban on all related pages. It said it would limit the spread of QAnon posts and restricted 3,280 pages and groups in August. In June, Facebook removed hundreds of accounts associated with a violent network of followers of the far-right “boogaloo” movement, saying it was designating that faction as a “dangerous organization.”
Facebook says it will crack down on QAnon conspiracy theory but stops short of full ban
Gibson’s group has ballooned in size during President Trump’s time in office and is especially active in the Pacific Northwest, where Gibson has held pro-Trump rallies for years.
Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed to this report.