COLOMBIA, SC (WIS) – A group of about 40 protesters gathered in the shadow of State House on Sunday, concerned about freedom of expression.
After Trump supporters invaded the United States Capitol, major social media platforms began cracking down on pages promoting conspiracy theories about the election and the federal government.
President Donald Trump’s Twitter account was among those banned in the following days.
Florence resident Shawn Laurie organized the event, entitled “Drive4America”.
“Many of us here, all the speakers, are on social media, we are beginning to realize that many of us are being banned from the shadows or our voices are not being heard,” he said.
Laurie said she wants government leaders to “deal with this” in an effort to protect freedom of expression.
“There is already a lot of extreme going on, and a lot of people are misinterpreting who we are. I am a patriot, I am a veteran, I am not a racist, I am not hateful, I am not violent. I am American and ready, ”he said.
O First Amendment prevents Congress from passing laws to restrict speech or the press. It does not apply to private companies that create their own policies.
It says:
Congress will not make any laws respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting its free exercise; or restrict freedom of expression or the press; or the people’s right to assemble peacefully and petition the government for redress of complaints.
“I hear a lot of people come up to me and they’re like, ah, well, private companies, big tech, they can silence you. But that’s okay, if that’s the case, why would you let one side express your opinion and not the other, ”he said.
There was a large presence of law enforcement officers and the event was peaceful.
Laurie said she does not tolerate what happened at the United States Capitol, and restricting her speech prevents others from understanding who he is.
“There is already a lot of extreme going on and many people are misinterpreting who we are. I am a patriot, I am a veteran, I am not a racist, I am not hateful, I am not violent. I am American and ready, ”he said.
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