Internet comedian JP Sears, who has routinely mocked leftist political correctness as well as the excesses of COVID-19 lockdowns, asked his 2.7 million Facebook followers on Tuesday to join him on Parler after Facebook threatened to unpublish his page for violating “Community Standards.”
“Hey family, looks like my days here on Facebook are numbered. Please join me on Parler (username @awakenwithjp) where I’ll continue to share uncensored,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “On a side note: I will not back down from Tyrrany [sic]. I will without question risk losing what I have in the name of freedom. And I know many others are doing the same. I will keep going.”
Sears shared a warning from Facebook, accusing him of violating the platform’s “Community Standards.” Nearly a month ago, the comedian announced his move to Parler after social media began cracking down on free speech.
“Because there is massive censorship happening on the major platforms, I have just joined Parler. Please follow me there as it’s censorship-free and I’ll be speaking my mind 100% freely!” he said at the time.
Sears received an outpouring of support after revealing he had been censored.
“Sick – they are awful. Keep speaking up JP. What they don’t understand is this – you can try to censor, but we will never give up!! You are a national treasure & I love your work. Helps to keep me sane,” said one follower.
“Clearly you are a bit too close to the target for their comfort. Keep up the good work,” said another follower.
“I’ve said much worst things than you but haven’t received one threat. My audience is a fraction of a fraction of yours though so obviously the thought police are scared that truth is reaching vast amounts of people,” said another.
Though Sears typically mocks the excesses of wellness culture and new age thinking, he has turned his satirical eye toward the COVID-19 lockdowns in recent months, often ripping political double-speak, Democrats’ hypocrisy, and the overall self-righteousness exhhibited by the pro-lockdown enthusiasts. Here is just one example among many:
As The Daily Wire reported last week, Facebook recently announced that it will be working to stop the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
“Given the recent news that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be rolling out around the world, over the coming weeks we will start removing false claims about these vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram. This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm. This could include false claims about the safety, efficacy, ingredients, or side effects of the vaccines,” the company said in a blog post.
“For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn’t on the official vaccine ingredient list,” it continued. “We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false: like specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccine’s safety. We will not be able to start enforcing these policies overnight. Since it’s early and facts about COVID-19 vaccines will continue to evolve, we will regularly update the claims we remove based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more.”