Far-right turns to alternative platforms to stoke further unrest

Far-right groups emboldened by last week’s riot in the US Capitol are using alternative platforms to rally support for further unrest, after mainstream social networks cracked down on violent narratives.

Facebook and Twitter have ramped up their moderation of fringe groups and conspiracy theories since the pro-Trump uprising in Washington DC, which left five people dead and sowed chaos in the capital.

This has included censoring baseless claims that Democrats illegally won the election, removing some of the most influential supporters of the pro-Trump conspiracy movement QAnon, and banning Mr Trump himself from posting.

Meanwhile, the popular rightwing social network Parler was shut down after web service provider Amazon cut ties with it over its alleged role in facilitating the violence.