YouTube has suspended President Donald Trump’s channel, accusing it of violating policies by inciting violence related to last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The suspension was announced late Tuesday.
Online platforms and social media companies are distancing themselves from, and taking action against, those that encouraged or engaged in the violence in Washington, D.C.
Trump’s channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or livestreams for a minimum of seven days, which may be extended, YouTube said in a statement.
The company has also indefinitely disabled comments under videos on the channel.
The suspension of Trump’s channel came after comments that he made at a news conference, which was streamed on the platform on Tuesday morning, the company said.
YouTube’s action against the president comes after U.S. civil rights groups told Reuters that they were set to organize an advertiser boycott against the company if it does not remove Trump’s channel.
Rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, trying to halt the certification by Congress of President-elect Joe Biden’s election win.
Trump, who has challenged the validity of Biden’s victory, initially praised his supporters but later condemned the violence.
Lawmakers were forced to flee as the building was mobbed by protesters who overwhelmed security forces. Five people died in the violence, including one Capitol Police officer.
After the incident, Twitter and Facebook removed Trump’s accounts and have been eliminating content supporting last week’s assault, while Amazon.com Inc suspended Parler, a social media platform favored by many supporters of Trump, from its web hosting service.
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