Eventbrite has drawn widespread anger from right-wing activists this week, following its decision to remove an event from its system over violation of its policies related to “disinformation.” The ticketing platform removed the event from its system, as did Facebook and Mailchimp, earlier this week. The event is a march planned for Washington D.C. in support of President Trump’s legal challenges to election results in several states following Joe Biden’s apparent victory that will deny him a second term in office.
“Eventbrite just shut down our event and emailed everyone that it was canceled,” Women for America First Chair Amy Kremer wrote on Twitter, sharing an image of the email sent to organizers by Eventbrite informing them of the removal of the event page. “Big Tech is trying to shut down our march. But we won’t let them.”
In that email, Eventbrite laid out the reasons for the removal of the event, which is scheduled for Saturday in the nation’s capital. According to Newsweek, other events organized for Saturday in Washington include the “Million MAGA March” and “Stop the Steal” rallies.
“We’re reaching out regarding your event listing, “MARCH FOR TRUMP. We do not permit events, content, or creators that share or promote potentially harmful misinformation. In this instance, we have determined hat your event violates our community guidelines and is therefore not permitted on the Eventbrite platform.”
Media organizations have projected Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election since Saturday, when the former Vice President was projected as the winner of Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college votes, bringing his total beyond the 270 needed to win. President Trump has refused to concede the loss, and has waged a media campaign arguing that many votes in key states were cast fraudulently, though no meaningful evidence supporting such claims has been presented as of Thursday. Numerous lawsuits have also been filed related to the election in key states, though it is unclear whether any will be successful, and even if any are, whether the change in vote counts would have any impact on the election.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) referred to the action taken by Eventbrite in removing the event page as “censorship of an orwellian nature that has got to be stopped,” in an appearance on Fox News. He criticized tech companies, including Eventbrite, as monopolies that are pushing for Biden’s victory, contributing to what he and others characterize as bias inherent in those platforms against conservative voices.
