America ‘on fire’: Facebook watched as Trump ignited hate

A file photo showing a sign that counter-protesters lit on fire burning after Trump supporters held pro-Trump marches in Washington. Reports of hateful and violent speech on Facebook poured in on the night of May 28 after Trump hit send on a social media post warning that looters who joined protests following Floyd's death last year would be shot, according to internal Facebook documents shared with The Associated Press. — AP

COLUMBUS, Ohio: The reports of hateful and violent posts on Facebook started pouring in on the night of May 28 last year, soon after then-US President Donald Trump sent a warning on social media that looters in Minneapolis would be shot.

It had been three days since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for more than eight minutes until the 46-year-old Black man lost consciousness, showing no signs of life. A video taken by a bystander had been viewed millions of times online. Protests had taken over Minnesota’s largest city and would soon spread throughout cities across America.