Facebook has removed almost 900 accounts associated with the far-right Proud Boys and American Guard, including those of supporters who marched into a protest zone in Seattle and confronted anti-racist demonstrators.
Facebook told Reuters the takedowns of more than 500 Facebook accounts and more than 300 Instagram accounts followed a smaller round of suspensions two weeks ago.
"We initially removed a set of accounts for both organisations on May 30 when we saw that both organisations started posting content tied to the ongoing protests," said a Facebook spokeswoman who asked not to be identified.
"We were continuing the work to map out the full network."
Facebook had previously banned the groups for promoting hate, but individual members continued to post images with weapons and urging others to attend protests that followed the Minneapolis killing of George Floyd in police custody.
Joseph Oakman and fellow Proud Boys plant a flag in Tom McCall Waterfront Park during a rally in Portland, Oregon in 2019. Source: AAP
Facebook is under heightened scrutiny as provocateurs use it to coordinate and recruit. It has also acted to make it harder to find groups in the so-called Boogaloo movement.
Boogaloo adherents believe a new civil war is looming and are often heavily armed. Some ally with right-wing militias and have sought to capitalise on the protests by instigating violence they hope will escalate into a broader conflict.
On Tuesday, two adherents were charged in connection with the murder of a security guard on duty at a federal building during a protest in Oakland.
According to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, suspects Steven Carrillo and Robert Alvin Justus Junior belonged to the same unidentified Facebook group and discussed attacking federal authorities on May 28.
Proud Boys and right-wing protesters arrive in Washington DC for a rally in July, 2019. Source: AAP
