(MENAFN) Former US President Donald Trump has returned to Facebook after being banned for a year following the January 6 Capitol riots in Washington. He made the announcement on his reinstated page by simply writing "I'M BACK!"
Meta, Facebook's parent company, announced in January that they would reinstate the former president as they believed "the public should be allowed to hear from politicians." However, the post also clarified that Trump would face "heightened penalties for repeat offenses" as a way to "deter" such behavior.
Trump was banned from Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, in 2021. The company's president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, wrote in 2022 that the ban was under "extreme and highly unusual circumstances." The official reason for the ban was that Trump had praised "people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021."
Similarly, Twitter permanently suspended Trump for "incitement of violence." This referred to Trump's tweets about the Capitol riots where he called the protesters "great American patriots." Trump had been fond of Twitter even before assuming office and in 2017, he had said that he would not have won the election without it.
It remains to be seen how Trump will use Facebook now that he has been reinstated. His return has already sparked controversy and criticism, with many questioning Meta's decision to allow him back on the platform. The heightened penalties for repeat offenses may act as a deterrent, but some argue that Trump's past behavior warrants a permanent ban from social media. The situation is likely to be closely monitored in the coming weeks and months, as politicians and the public alike weigh in on the issue.
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