Parler CEO John Matze blasted Facebook and Twitter for censorship, saying free speech is not the enemy. Parler is the fastest growing alternative to mainstream social platforms, and its CEO seems to be a true believer in free speech.
Both Twitter and Facebook suspended the president’s accounts following the Jan 6 riots on Capitol Hill by his supporters. The platforms accused the president of inciting violence and spreading election misinformation.
In a controversial move on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Trump was suspended from the platform indefinitely, at least until he is no longer president.
“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,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post announcing the decision.
In a statement on his platform, Parler CEO shot back at Facebook and Twitter for their censorship habits.
“If free speech truly is the enemy and we must restrict and censor the voices of people to keep our country safe, then our country is already lost,” Matze wrote. He accused the two social media giants of believing “the ends justify the means,” that they “insult our founding fathers by suggesting Zuckerburg and Dorsey know what is best for us,” and assuming the “American people are weak.”
According to Matze, Americans are smart enough to think for themselves even when given access to all sorts of information. For that reason, his platform will not be an arbiter of truth.
On Parler, Tiffany Trump shared a screenshot of her retweet of that post and asked, “Whatever happened to freedom of speech?”
Matze responded by telling her she will not find it on Twitter.
