Police have reportedly barricaded the entrances to Twitter’s headquarters in preparation for an anticipated protest in San Francisco over the platform’s removal of President Trump, SF Gate reported on Monday.
“The San Francisco Police Department is aware of the possibility of a demonstration on the 1300 block of Market Street (Twitter) tomorrow, Monday January 11, 2021. SFPD has been in contact with representatives from Twitter. We will have sufficient resources available to respond to any demonstrations as well as calls for service citywide,” a police department spokesperson told TechCrunch in an email. “The San Francisco Police Department is committed to facilitating the public’s right to First Amendment expressions of free speech. We ask that everyone exercising their First Amendment rights be considerate, respectful, and mindful of the safety of others.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the calls for peaceful demonstrations came from a right-wing forum on Reddit, created after the subreddit TheDonald was banned last year.
A Twitter spokesperson said most of the company’s employees are working remotely, adding that their highest priority was workers’ safety.
“While we respect people’s right to express their views, we’ve been transparent about the factors leading up to our decision last week,” the spokesperson said in an email.
On Friday, Twitter announced that it had permanently banned President Donald Trump from its platform due to, “the risk of further incitement of violence.”
“This determination is based on a number of factors, including:
President Trump’s statement that he will not be attending the Inauguration is being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate,” Twitter said in a statement regarding their decision to ban President Trump.
The statement continued, “The use of the words “American Patriots” to describe some of his supporters is also being interpreted as support for those committing violent acts at the US Capitol.”
In response to Trump’s announcement that he would not be attending Presient-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Biden said it was “a good thing.”
“One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on,” Mr. Biden told reporters in Delaware. “It’s a good thing, him not showing up.”
The additional demonstrations come just days after a protest turned violent on Capitol Hill Wednesday, prompting an evacuation and lockdown in the Capitol building and leading to the deaths of four individuals.
Last year, dozens of BLM and Antifa riots ravaged American cities for months, causing the deaths of over 20 people and billions of dollars worth of public and private property damage.
