'There is no place for hate in our community': Facebook bans the account of a white nationalist after racist rant in Vice documentary
- Facebook has banned white nationalist Christopher Cantwell from using site
- The ban came after Cantwell went on racist rant in a Vice documentary
- Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced Wednesday that the social media site would not tolerate hateful and extreme views
- Cantwell said Facebook shut down account to try and silence him for his views
Facebook has banned the Facebook and Instagram accounts of a white nationalist who attended the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in deadly violence.
Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja said the profile pages of Christopher Cantwell have been removed as well as a page connected to his podcast.
Cantwell was featured in a Vice News documentary about the rally and its aftermath, which led to him being banned on the social media site.
In the documentary, Cantwell condoned the alt-right's use of violence and took aim at US President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka.
He said: 'I'm here to spread ideas, talk, in the hopes that somebody more capable will come along... somebody like Donald Trump who does not give his daughter to a Jew.'
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Facebook has banned the Facebook and Instagram accounts of white nationalist, Christopher Cantwell, who attended the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in deadly violence
Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja said the profile pages of Cantwell (center) have been removed as well as a page connected to his podcast
Cantwell went on to say his 'ideal leader' would be 'a lot more racist than Donald Trump'.
Facebook, which owns Instagram, has also removed at least eight pages connected to the white nationalist movement over what Budhraja says were violations on the company's polices on hate speech and organizations.
Cantwell, of Keene, New Hampshire, was listed on rally flyers and labeled an extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The 36-year-old is a former information technology worker who moved to New Hampshire from New York in 2012.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday that the social media site would not tolerate hateful and extreme views
Cantwell describes himself as a white nationalist and said he voted for President Donald Trump. He has a podcast called Radical Agenda and blog that promote his views.
His podcast's website has a pop-up that says Cantwell is 'often banned from Facebook'.
Cantwell said Facebook shut down his account in an attempt to silence him for his views.
He also said his PayPal account had been closed. The company wouldn't confirm that because it has a policy of not commenting on the status of accounts.
'I'm not surprised by almost any of this because the whole thing we are complaining about here is that we are trying to express our views, and everybody is going through extraordinary lengths to make sure we are not heard,' Cantwell said in a phone interview.
'Frankly, whatever you think of my views, that is very scary to me,' he said. 'Facebook and Instagram is one thing but not being able to participate in the financial system because of your political opinions is something that, you know, people should worry about in America.'
On Wednesday, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social media site would not tolerate hateful and extreme views.
'We aren't born hating each other. We aren't born with such extreme views. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we all have a responsibility to do what we can.
'It's important that Facebook is a place where people with different views can share their ideas. Debate is part of a healthy society.
'But when someone tries to silence others or attacks them based on who they are or what they believe, that hurts us all and is unacceptable,' Zuckerberg wrote.
'There is no place for hate in our community. That's why we've always taken down any post that promotes or celebrates hate crimes or acts of terrorism -- including what happened in Charlottesville,' he said.
'There is no place for hate in our community. That's why we've always taken down any post that promotes or celebrates hate crimes or acts of terrorism -- including what happened in Charlottesville,' Zuckerberg wrote
Facebook banned Cantwell (center) from its site after he was featured in the Vice documentary and OKCupid followed suit
Protester, Heather Heyer, 32, was killed during the rally after suspected driver, James Alex Fields Jr, rammed into a crowd of anti-fascists last weekend.
Fields, 20, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death.
'With the potential for more rallies, we're watching the situation closely and will take down threats of physical harm. We won't always be perfect, but you have my commitment that we'll keep working to make Facebook a place where everyone can feel safe,' Zuckerberg added.
Facebook banned Cantwell from its site after he was featured in the Vice documentary and OKCupid followed suit.
The online dating site announced the decision on Twitter, saying: 'There is no room for hate in a place where you're looking for love.'
The site also asked users to report anyone who appears to be involved in a hate group.
CEO Elie Seidman gave a statement to Gizmodo saying: 'OKCupid has zero tolerance for racism.
'We make a lot of decisions every day that are tough. Banning Christopher Cantwell was not one of them.'
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