Meta will restore Trump’s Facebook account ‘in the coming weeks’
Meta will restore Trump’s Facebook account ‘in the coming weeks’
By Rebecca Kerr
Facebook’s independent oversight body has overturned the social media giant’s decision to indefinitely ban Donald Trump from its platforms, saying the company “did not follow its own rules” when it made the move.
In a landmark ruling released on Wednesday, the Oversight Board said Facebook “should have taken action” against Mr Trump’s posts on January 6 “for violating Community Standards on Dangerous Individuals and Organizations”.
But the board said it was not appropriate for the company to make “an indefinite suspension” and gave Facebook six months to review the decision and take action.
“We believe that, in light of President Trump’s Grenell comments today, Facebook should restore his access to the platform as soon as possible,” the board said. “We understand that Facebook is currently reviewing President Trump’s content to determine whether it violates their Community Standards.”
Mr Trump was permanently suspended from Facebook and Twitter in the wake of the riot at the US Capitol on January 6.
The former president has repeatedly denied that his comments on the platforms had incited the insurrection.
Following the announcement, Mr Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller said the former president would be “immediately” returning to social media.
“The OVERTURNED decision is a total victory for President Trump,” Mr Miller said in a statement. “ We look forward to President Trump returning to social media in the coming weeks with his own platform. ”
Describing the decision as a “win”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration’s focus remains on preventing domestic extremism.
“We believe that private companies should be making their own decisions, and we also believe that people should be held accountable for their actions,” Ms Psaki said.
“But I will say that we are focused on our own work, which is to prevent domestic extremism, continue to invest in de-escalation and work to heal some of the deep divisions that exist in the country.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Grenell said he had not spoken to Mr Trump about the decision but that he supports the move.