Shopify announced on Thursday that it’s removing all stores affiliated with US President Donald Trump from its platform.
The decision comes one day after a group of violent Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in Washington, DC, where lawmakers inside were conducting a vote count to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win on Wednesday afternoon.
There were violent clashes between members of the mob and police, and images have emerged on social media of at least one armed standoff inside the government building.
A spokesperson from Shopify tells Daily Hive that the company “does not tolerate actions that incite violence.”
Shopify Deactivates Trump’s Online Stores After Capitol Siege
A spokesperson tells TheWrap, “Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence”Lindsey Ellefson | January 7, 2021 @ 9:40 AM
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Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform, deactivated outgoing President Donald Trump’s stores Thursday, one day after a group of his supporters stormed the Capitol during a joint session of Congress, leaving four people dead.
A Spotify spokesperson told TheWrap, “Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence. Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause. As a result, we have terminated stores affiliated with President Trump.”
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Shopify removed stores affiliated with President Donald Trump, including shop.donaldjtrump.com and trumpstore.com, following a siege at the US Capitol building.
Rioters wearing Make America Great Again hats and waving Trump 2020 flags sieged the Capitol building to stop Congress from confirming President-elect Joe Biden s victory in the 2020 election. Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our Acceptable Use Policy, a Shopify spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.
Shopify follows other tech companies, like Twitter and Facebook, in suspending Trump s online accounts.
Shopify removed stores affiliated with President Trump, the company announced on Thursday.
In a now-deleted letter Lütke had authored back in 2017, the Shopify chief executive wrote that “commerce is a powerful, underestimated form of expression.”
Drawing a parallel between individual purchases made by consumers and votes, Lütke had said that it was not Shopify’s place to interrupt that free expression, even if personally and as an organization, they disagree with the positions of those on the platform.
Since that 2017 stand, Shopify has softened its position somewhat. In 2018 the company banned some right-wing groups from the platform including shops affiliated with the Proud Boys organization (who were involved in yesterday’s riot at the Capitol). And, as Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the U.S. the company donated some of its funds to civil rights organizations.