Facebook removes ‘RINO hunt’ video

Washington: Facebook has removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri US Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he’s hunting RINOS, or Republicans In Name Only.

In the advertisement, Greitens, a former Missouri state governor who resigned in disgrace in 2018, is flanked by a tactical unit outside a home on a tree-lined street as he whispers, “The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice,” using a term of derision that former President Donald Trump and his allies use to label moderate or establishment Republicans.

The armed tactical team breaks through the front door and throws what appear to be flash-bang grenades inside. Greitens enters an empty living room through the smoke and says, “Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.”

Facebook on Monday said the video was removed “for violating our policies prohibiting violence and incitement.”

Twitter said Greitens’ post violated its rules about abusive behaviour but said it was leaving it up because it was in the “public’s interest” for the tweet to be viewable