Facebook takes action against the ‘Boogaloo Bois Movement’ that wants to create a second civil war

Facebook has taken action against the ‘Boogaloo Bois Movement’ that wants to create a second civil war in the United States. The ‘Boogaloo Bois Movement’ is a network of anti-government extremists who will support any action that will speed up a second civil war in the United States. Members of the Boogaloo Bois Movement have joined George Floyd protesters nationwide wearing Hawaiian shirts, military fatigues, and being armed against the federal government and are showing solidary with the protesters.

 The social media giant in response to the ‘Boogaloo Bois Movement‘ has limited and banned groups and pages from using the term and sharing information to users.  Facebook made the decision on May 1st, to limit and ban the Boogaloo movement, Executives have also decided and word when it updated its violence and incitement policy. In the past, Facebook has promised to ban hate groups and speeches on its platform, but they still exist.

According to an investigation by Tech Transparency Project (TTP),  they found 150 Facebook groups related to the Boogaloo Bois movement in the past 30 days. TTP reports that in these groups there are tens of thousands of members who are planning for an uprising against the government.

TTP has also reported that Facebook itself created many of these hate groups and pages. During the investigation, TTP was able to penetrate these groups In these hate groups, it reported that members discussed violence, how to create explosives, and other types of weapons.

According to Facebook’s community standards, they remove threats, hate speeches, sexual, violent, and graphic content from its platform. Over the years, many Facebook users have complained that the social media giant is not very fair in its policies. Users have found inconsistencies in how Facebook handles these abuses.

Recently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has come under fire for not removing President Trump’s post on enticing violence during the  George Floyd protests.  Facebook moderators did not agree with Zuckerberg’s decision and in response have done a virtual walkout, showing support to the cause. 

The term ‘Boogaloo’ is not new and comes from the 1984 breakdancing film “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.” The group is also referred to as the ‘Boogaloo Boys’ or ‘Boogaloo Bois.’ The term is a code word for a second civil war and has gained popularity since October 2019.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Boogaloo’s have a strong presence online and are gaining members. Members of the movement come from a variety of backgrounds, including white supremacists. The Boogaloo’s tries to use humor and believe that the government is interfering with the freedoms of the American citizens. The organization also believes that citizens should be armed to maintain a balance between the people and the government. They are also strong opponents of police brutality.   

 On June 2 in Columbia, South Carolina, 22-year-old Kevin Akley of the Richland County Emergency Medical Service was arrested for inciting violence during George Floyd protests. According to law enforcement, Ackley is associated with ‘Boogaloo Boys.’

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott released a statement and said that he was “disgusted” that someone “ who is supposed to be protecting the lives” could hurt other people.

In Las Vegas on May 30, three members of the ‘Boogaloo Bois Movement’ were arrested by the FBI while trying to attend the George Floyd protests. The three men were charged with domestic terrorism. Federal prosecutors said that  William Loomis, 40, was formerly in the Air Force, Stephen T. Parshall, 35, formerly in the Navy and Andrew T. Lynam Jr., 23, who is an Army reservist were trying to incite violence during the protests. 

Investigation (FBI), issued search warrants to the three men and found murder boxes, aerosol cans, gasoline, rags, survival strategies, and unregistered guns. All three men are being held on a one-million-dollar bond each.