Facebook took down a lawmaker’s post about clashing with armed protesters, saying it violated the platform’s policy on inciting violence.
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican congressman from Louisiana, warned on the social media platform on Tuesday that if armed protesters showed up in his area, they would be shot and killed.
“The post was removed for breaking our Violence and Incitement policies,” a spokesperson for Facebook told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
His post included two photos, one of law enforcement and another of armed protesters.
He wrote, “Look fair warning. If this shows up, we’ll consider the armed presence a real threat. We being, We, the People, of Louisiana. One way ticket fellas. Have your affairs in order. Me? … I wouldn’t even spill my beer. I’d drop any 10 of you where you stand … Nothing personal. We just eliminate the threat. We don’t care what color you are. We don’t care if you’re left or right. If you show up like this, if We recognize threat … you won’t walk away.”
Higgins also noted that he wasn’t issuing “a challenge,” rather “a promise,” and said that they “don’t want to see your worthless ass nor do we want to make your mothers cry. You’re the ones threatening, if you show yourselves, aggressively natured and armed in my presence,” according to KATC News.
Higgins’s post came amid protests in Lafayette, Louisiana, following the death of Trayford Pellerin, a black man who was killed by police on Aug. 21. This is the latest in a string of violent incidents between law enforcement and minorities that have sparked nationwide conversations and protests about policing and race.
After the post was removed, the lawmaker shared another post, this one explaining that he had not removed it himself and accusing the country of “being manipulated” by “government control.”
“No, I did not remove my post. America is being manipulated into a new era of government control,” he said. “Your liberty is being threatened from within. Welcome to the front lines, Ladies and Gentlemen. I suggest you get your mind right. I’ll advise when it’s time to gear up, mount up, and roll out.”
This is not the first time Higgins has gotten into hot water with controversial social media posts.
