SAN FRANCISCO—Protestors upset with censorship by Silicon Valley social media companies protested at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, May 3 to bring attention to their cause. Dozens of the protestors from the group Demand Free Speech rallied on the steps of City Hall to bring attention to what they believe is unfair policies by the companies, including Facebook and Twitter, in how they censor conservative views.
Demand Free Speech posted plans about the rally on their website, which included well-known public figures such as Laura Loomer, Dylan Wheeler, and Joe Biggs. The group hosted a social media blackout from April 30 to May 2, in which people were called on to boycott social media in a two-day moment of silence for everyone who has been censored by Big Tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The rally transpired one day after Facebook banned Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones, and other extremists in an effort to crack down on hate speech, racism and anti-Semitism. Loomer, who was also banned from Facebook, spoke at the rally. She recently spoke about her ban from Facebook on Alex Jones’ radio show, shouting multiple times, “My life is ruined!”
Wheeler spoke at the rally as well and suspects that social media platforms are actively working to stifle his conservative message after watching his Twitter followers drop. Counter-protestors argued the conservatives are using the First Amendment to spread a message of hate and intolerance.
