Meta Platforms Group, the owner of Facebook, said Monday it has removed content from its social media that supports or praises events in Brazil, where supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have invaded and looted official buildings.
Tens of thousands of protesters stormed the Supreme Court, the Congress Building and the presidential palace in Brasília on Sunday, breaking windows, damaging furniture, destroying art and stealing the original 1988 Constitution.
“Ahead of the election, we have designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have removed content that encourages people to take up arms or forcefully invade Congress, the presidential palace and other federal buildings,” a Meta spokesperson said.
“Violation”
The company also says it calls the Sunday events a “violation,” adding that it will remove “content that supports or praises these activities.”
“We are actively monitoring the situation and will continue to remove content that violates our policies,” the spokesperson added. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office as President of Brazil on January 1 after defeating Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election in October.
Supporters of the ousted president rejected the result and called for demonstrations on social media and messaging platforms including Twitter, Telegram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook.
legal request
Supreme Court Justice Alexander de Moraes asked the social networks Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to block user accounts that spread anti-democratic propaganda.
Representatives for TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and Elon Musk, who bought Twitter last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reports reviewed by Reuters over the past week showed that members of these groups organized meetings in various cities across the country, from where buses chartered for the occasion departed for Brasilia.
Social media came under fire during the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021 by supporters of former President Donald Trump.