Facebook and Instagram announced Thursday afternoon that they had banned numerous fringe figures across of the political spectrum.
The social media platforms banned Alex Jones and his outlet, Infowars; Milo Yiannopoulos; Paul Joseph Watson; Laura Loomer, Paul Nehlen; and Louis Farrakhan.
“We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove these accounts today,” Facebook said in a statement to CNN Business. They also labeled those individuals “dangerous.”
The Facebook pages, fan pages and groups associated with these individuals were removed from the site after being reevaluated.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 16: Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan delivers a speech and talks about U.S. President Donald Trump, at the Watergate Hotel, on November 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Jones, and his media outlet Infowars, has been barred from numerous social media platforms, including Twitter and YouTube.
Failed Republican congressional candidate Paul Nehlen and Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, have reiterated anti-Semitic claims. (RELATED: Twitter Rules Louis Farrakhan Comparing Jewish People To Termites Doesn’t Violate Guidelines)
“To the members of the Jewish community that don’t like me, thank you very much for putting my name all over the planet … I’m not mad at you, ’cause you’re so stupid,” he said during a speech, last October. “So when they talk about Farrakhan, call me a hater, you know they do, call me an anti-Semite — stop it! I’m anti-termite! I don’t know nothing about hating somebody because of their religious preference.”
Watson, Yiannopoulos and Loomer are all members of the far right and also have experience similar bans on other platforms.