Facebook deletes Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Greene's ad

A screenshot from an ad by Marjorie Greene and her campaign that was removed from Facebook for inciting violence.
A screenshot from an ad by Marjorie Greene and her campaign that was removed from Facebook for inciting violence.

Facebook has removed a campaign ad from Georgia 14th Congressional District candidate Marjorie Greene, claiming the ad violated their advertising policy.

Facebook sent a notice to Greene's campaign saying ads "must not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition, or explosives," which includes ads promoting the "brandishing of firearms."

In the video, Greene is shown holding an AR-15 and saying President Donald Trump has declared antifa a domestic terrorist organization.

"I have a message for antifa terrorists," Greene says before appearing to load the gun. "Stay the hell out of Northwest Georgia."

Greene goes on to say antifa will not "burn our churches, loot our businesses or destroy our homes."

The video, which is still active on Greene's Twitter page, has nearly 1 million views and had about 2 million views on Facebook before it was taken down. The video was picked up by Breitbart News, a conservative news website.

In a statement, Greene said the move is the latest example of "Big Tech censorship on conservatives."

"Facebook lets antifa organize terrorist attacks on America but pulls my post down," Greene said. "America is a country of law and order - not anarchy. Telling antifa thugs to stay out of Northwest Georgia is not a violation of Facebook. Northwest Georgia will not let antifa burn our churches, loot our businesses and destroy our homes."

photo A screenshot from an ad by Marjorie Greene and her campaign that was removed from Facebook for inciting violence.

On May 31, Trump praised the National Guard's response to nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an African American man, under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.

"The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly," Trump tweeted. Twenty minutes later, he tweeted that he would designate the group a domestic terrorist organization.

Antifa, or anti-fascists, is a loose collection of individuals and groups without an official leader that engage in aggressive mobilization against far-right extremist movements.

The term has roots that date back to the 1930s in Germany for a militant movement that opposed Nazis. The term gained popularity in the U.S. following antifa's involvement in opposing white supremacist rallies.

The Nation magazine obtained an FBI situation report after the Trump comments saying the organization "has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence" in the protests at the nation's Capitol.

Greene was the first of nine candidates (eight are Republican) to run for the Congressional seat in the June 9 Primary Election. She's running on the slogan, "Save America, Stop Socialism." U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has endorsed Greene.

The candidates are seeking to replace Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who is not seeking re-election.

Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.

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