WASHINGTON, DC — The following is a statement from Madihha Ahussain, Muslim Advocates’ special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry, on Facebook’s announcement that it will remove certain hate actors including Laura Loomer, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos from Facebook and Instagram. Click here for screenshots of select posts from Laura Loomer’s social media accounts:

“We applaud Facebook for taking this positive step toward removing hate actors from the company’s platforms. Last week’s horrific shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue and the anti-Muslim vehicular attack in Sunnyvale, California are just the most recent examples of the deadly consequences of hate. And as we saw in Christchurch, New Zealand—where a white nationalist was able to livestream the slaughter of 50 people at two mosques—online platforms like Facebook have been used to target communities and spread hate.

Individuals like Laura Loomer, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos have used social media platforms to broadcast dangerous hate speech and conspiracies targeting Muslims, Jews, and others. Removing them from Facebook and Instagram will go a long way towards ensuring the safety of their users. However, many individuals and hate groups such as the virulently anti-Muslim ACT for America remain on Facebook and continue to use the company’s platforms to organize and perpetuate hate and bigotry.

For years, Muslim Advocates has drawn attention to the dangers of hateful content online and urged Facebook to take these issues seriously. We welcome today’s announcement and hope Facebook continues to take similar action against others that misuse their platforms to target others. We also look forward to working with Facebook to ensure that needed reforms and accountability mechanisms are enacted to make Facebook and Instagram safe platforms that are free from hate and bigotry.”

Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.

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