Meta said it will remove content promoting or endorsing the riots in Brazil. On Sunday, former President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the Congress building (Palacio do Planalto) and the Supreme Court building in the capital, Brasilia.
In a statement, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said: “We’re also designating this as a violating event, which means we will remove content that supports or praises these actions. We’re actively monitoring the situation and will continue removing content that violates our policies.”
Like the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US capitol, the media has blamed tech platforms for allowing a spread of alleged misinformation on social media for fueling the recent riots in Brazil.
Several leaders in Latin America, the US, the EU, and even Bolsonaro himself condemned the riots in Brasilia. Current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the riots as barbaric and ordered the use of federal forces to restore order.
Following the riots, Lula’s Workers’ Party called on supporters to attend a pro-democracy rally in Sao Paulo to speak out against the riots, which it described as “terrorist action.” The Socials and Liberty Party also encouraged supporters to attend the rally.
