Facebook has removed the 22,000-member Defend East County group from its site, the group’s founder and administrator, Justin Haskins, announced in a post to a separate Facebook group Saturday morning.
A San Diego Union-Tribune investigation of the group’s activity in August revealed that members frequently talked about inflicting violence on Black Lives Matter protesters, shared memes and videos celebrating right-wing violence against protesters and discussed the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory.
John Sepulvado, a racial justice activist who lives in East County, told the Union-Tribune that the action by Facebook is the result of a coordinated campaign among several East County activists.
“We were concerned about electioneering by Defend East County and threats against women and minorities and wanted to do something safely,” Sepulvado said.
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