An alternative social media platform used by the Pittsburgh shooting suspect to generate anti-Semitic sentiment hours before his deadly attack on a synagogue has been taken offline, but it vows to return.
Robert Bowers, who shot and killed 11 people and injured four others at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday, frequently posted on Gab.com, a social networking site known for its tolerance of anti-Semitic and racist discussions.
The account tied to Bowers was taken down by Gab, but a snapshot was preserved around 11:00 a.m. EST, according to website archive system archive.is.
It showed Bowers posting to the sight mere hours before the shooting saying “Screw your optics, I'm going in."
On Saturday, Joyent, Gab’s hosting provider, pulled the platform’s hosting service for what it said was a breach of the hoster’s terms of service, according to an email sent to Gab.
“Gab will likely be down for weeks because of this,” the company said.
GoDaddy.com, which provided Gab with its domain name, told the Washington Examiner that after the shooting, it informed Gab.com it had 24 hours to move the domain to another registrar, as they had violated Go Daddy’s terms of service.
“In response to complaints received over the weekend, GoDaddy investigated and discovered numerous instances of content on the site that both promotes and encourages violence against people,” spokesman Dan Race said.
As of Monday morning, the site Gab.com remains offline and features the following message:
“Gab.com is under attack. We have been systematically no-platformed by App Stores, multiple hosting providers, and several payment processors,” the statement said. “We have been smeared by the mainstream media for defending free expression and individual liberty for all people and for working with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served for the horrible atrocity committed in Pittsburgh. Gab will continue to fight for the fundamental human right to speak freely.”
Gab released a statement Monday saying the company has spent the past 48 hours working with the Department of Justice and FBI as they investigate Bowers and his online history. Because of the data the company provided, Gab says the federal government “now have plenty of evidence for their case.”
Bowers, who shouted anti-Semitic slurs during his rampage and told police he wanted Jews to die, has been charged with 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder as well as hate crimes. He could face the death penalty if convicted and is due in court Monday.
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Gab used a string of tweets Monday morning to defend its operating procedures and reject what it calls a vast left-wing bias aimed at silencing conservative voices.
“We are the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history, which means we are a threat to the media and to the Silicon Valley Oligarchy,” the platform said. “No-platform us all you want. Ban us all you want. Smear us all you want. You can’t stop an idea. Gab.com and The People will rise.”