Facebook Removes ‘Stop The Steal’ Group, Which Targeted Alleged Voting Fraud
Facebook quickly moved on Thursday to shut down a group that claimed Democrats were out to steal the 2020 presidential election.
The group “Stop the Steal” had collected more than 360,000 members in the last two days, and was soliciting contributions and planning to stage live rallies.
Facebook claimed the group’s page “delegitimized” the vote-counting process, according to a Washington Post report.
“In line with the exceptional measures that we are taking during this period of heightened tension, we have removed the Group ‘Stop the Steal’ which was creating real-world events,” a Facebook statement said. “The group was organized around the delegitimization of the election process, and we saw worrying calls for violence from members of the group.”
The group’s description claimed that “Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and nullify Republican votes.” Vote talling centers were targeted for protests, the Washington Post said.
”Stop the Steal” claimed on Facebook to have been started by the conservative non-profit Women for America First, which claims that it supports “boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote.”
Several smaller groups with the name “Stop the Steal” are still on Facebook, but the service has yet to comment on them or take action.
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