The popular live streaming platform Twitch deactivated President Donald Trump’s account on Thursday, the company confirmed in a statement to Polygon.
“In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on Capitol Hill, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel,” says the statement. “Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the incendiary rhetoric of the president, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.”
On Wednesday, a pro-Trump crowd attempted an insurrection in Washington, DC Thousands stormed the US government headquarters and clashed with law enforcement officials, vandalizing the Capitol building and destroying the offices of lawmakers, who were forced to house up or evacuate the Chamber and Senate chambers. Members of the crowd carried Confederate flags, ties and iconography of white supremacy.
The deal of the day – the affirmation of the free and fair election of President-elect Joe Biden and elected Vice President Kamala Harris – could not be completed until the early hours of Thursday morning. Four died in the violence, including one person who was reportedly shot by the Capitol Police.
Trump had addressed the same crowd on Wednesday morning, hours before the violence began, urging his supporters to go to the Capitol. Lawmakers on both sides condemned the Trump rally as inciting the attack on the Capitol that later unfolded.
This is not the first time that Trump’s Twitch platform has been suspended. Last June, following the retransmission of an inflammatory anti-immigrant speech, the Amazon-owned company made the decision to temporarily ban Trump’s account for “odious conduct”.
Also on Thursday, Facebook, which has long allowed Trump to use his platform to promote baseless allegations of a fraudulent election, banned the president’s accounts “indefinitely”, saying it would prevent his account from being used at least until after his inauguration. of Biden.
“We believe that the risks of allowing President Trump to continue using our service during this period are simply too great,” wrote Facebook in a press release.
At the time of publication, lawmakers were proposing both impeachment and the invocation of the 25th Amendment. Both could remove Trump from office before the end of his term on January 20.