On the eve of an advocacy group’s plan for 35 “vigils” for the more than 725 Jan. 6 defendants, Facebook blocked the account promoting their actions.
“Facebook suspended my account because I was promoting these vigils and because I was encouraging people to volunteer with Look Ahead America. Seriously,” Matt Braynard, head of Look Ahead America, said in an email.
His group hosted a well-behaved rally near the Capitol in September that was nearly outnumbered by reporters and police.
Braynard, a former Trump aide, has set up 35 vigils nationwide for Thursday’s anniversary of the Capitol riot and the subsequent arrest and jailing of many of those who entered the building as Vice President Mike Pence certified the election of Joe Biden as president.
In the note he posted on social media, Facebook said that Braynard violated its “standards.”
It was an unexpected blow because that is how he has communicated with his supporters and promoted the vigils. The largest is expected to take place at the Washington, D.C., jail where several defendants are being held and some have complained about poor conditions.
“There is still a large presence on FB of people we need to reach,” he said. He also uses other platforms, including GETTR, Gab, and Telegram.
