We noted that a post last month at the Media Research Center’s Free Speech America project that Alexander Hall falsely claimed “Big Tech platforms cracked down on [Donald] Trump’s account following then-president Trump’s call for peace amid political unrest in D.C.” — the lie being the implication that Trump’s call for peace was the reason for the crackdown and not, you know, the previous months in which he spread the lie that he won the election and encouraged that “political unrest.” But that’s far from the only time the MRC has done this.
Hall first forwarded this victimization lie on Jan. 6, in a post headlined “Twitter Suspends Trump As He Calls for ‘Peace'” in which he declared that “Trump’s call for order was restricted by Twitter, as chaos erupted in the nation’s capital” — and Hall was also silent then on the fact that Trump instigated the chaos he was now trying to defuse. Hall and others have spread this same dishonest lie linking the call for “peace” with suspensions in other MRC posts as well — not just immediately after the Capitol riot but weeks afterward:
- Other tech platforms including Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and even Shopify have followed suit in blaming the sitting president for the actions of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, even as he made a call for “peace.” — Hall, Jan. 8
- Twitter patted itself on the back after suspending Trump for 12 hours for posting a video in which he called for “peace” amid the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building. — Kayla Sargent, Jan. 8
- Twitter began a censorship apocalypse in recent days after it purged Trump. Multiple Big Tech platforms even cracked down on Trump’s call for peace amid the D.C. chaos, which saw rioters storm the U.S. Capitol building. — Hall, Jan. 12 and Jan. 13
- Before he was banned, Twitter targeted Trump with more than a year of unprecedented restriction of his tweets, including a 12-hour suspension for posting a video in which he called for “peace” amid the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building. — Alexa Moutevelis, Jan. 14
- Trump’s urgent warning that free speech must be protected at all costs is especially salient after he was censored by Big Tech companies. Multiple Big Tech platforms even cracked down on Trump’s call for peace amid political unrest in D.C., which saw rioters storm the U.S. Capitol building. — Hall, Jan. 20
- Facebook had suspended then-President Trump indefinitely, even as he called for peace amidst the U.S. Capitol riots. — Hall, Jan. 21
- Multiple Big Tech platforms cracked down on Trump’s account following hte former president’s call for peace amid political unrest in D.C., which saw rioters storm the U.S. Capitol building. — Hall, March 23 and March 24
- At least 17 Big Tech platforms cracked down on the former president’s accounts following his call for peace amid political unrest when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. — Hall, March 31
- Facebook banned the former President after he called for peace following the Capitol riot on January 6. — Casey Ryan, April 13
- YouTube was one of at least 10 Big Tech platforms that cracked down on the former president’s accounts following his call for peace amid political unrest when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. — Hall, April 19
Spreading such lies does not help boost the MRC’s credibility.