For immediate release: January 7, 2021
Contact: press@kairosfellows.org
Considering the violent insurrection at the Capitol yesterday and the role social media companies played in the organizing of that event, below is a statement from Jelani Drew, Campaign Manager at Kairos Action.
“As we support rightful calls to remove Donald Trump and his counterparts in Congress from office, we can’t forget that Facebook and Youtube are also complicit in the violence that took place in the Capitol building. Social media platforms have long ignored calls to pay attention to and remove white supremacist violence, hate, and lies from their platforms. While we can appreciate moves from Facebook and Youtube to ban Trump, these companies do not get to be the heroes. They waited just long enough to gain attention and make some money before taking action. The warning signs have been here since Donald Trump decided to run for president in 2015. If Facebook and Youtube truly want to regain the trust of the American people, it's time they hold their leadership accountable and remove their respective CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg and Susan Wojcicki, as leaders. Our communities deserve better.”