Utah Citizens Group not Deterred by Facebook Shutdown

Utah – On Wednesday, August 19, Facebook announced that it had disabled thousands of accounts on its platform and on Instagram, for content that they say is “increasingly causing alarm.” The sweeping move, disabling groups whose members they say own weapons or advocate violence, was aimed mainly at right-wing groups which Facebook deems a significant risk to public safety.

The young, Utah-based group known as Utah Citizens’ Alarm (UCA), formed only about seven weeks ago and nearly 20,000 members strong, was one of the accounts that was shut down without warning and seemingly without any recourse.  Facebook not only took down the group account, but disabled the personal accounts of the admins as well, also completely without warning or explanation.

“We do not now nor have we ever advocated for violence,” said UCA Founder and President Casey Robertson.  “Facebook seems to be confused about the difference between the constitutional right to bear arms and a propensity for and inclination toward violence.”

When asked how this abrupt shutdown will affect the group, Robertson responded by saying, “We aren’t stopping and will not be deterred.  We have communications well enough in place that we are confident in our ability to keep moving forward with the same momentum that has carried us so far in such a short amount of time. The citizens of Utah are patriots who love their state and love their country.  The goals are still the same:  support local law enforcement and use our constitutional rights as Americans to discourage violent individuals who would seek to destroy or harm our communities.”

More information about how the group plans to move forward can be found on their website at http://www.utahcitizensalarm.com or by following them on Twitter @Utahalarm.  The organization also has plans to create a UCA smartphone app in the near future.

“Facebook is only one means of communication,” said Robertson.  “An organization like ours with 20,000 patriotic citizens standing behind it will keep moving onward and upward.  We have no plans to stop.”

Media contact:

Casey Robertson [email protected]