London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 04, 2026

Parler CEO slams social media for giving 'free rein' to Middle East terrorist groups

Parler CEO slams social media for giving 'free rein' to Middle East terrorist groups

George Farmer has no qualms about banning Taliban from his platform

Parler CEO George Farmer slammed social media for giving "free rein" to Middle East terrorist groups, saying on Wednesday that he has no qualms about banning the Taliban from his platform.

He noted on "Mornings with Maria" on Wednesday that other social media platforms have directly censored a sitting U.S. president, but decided not to censor terrorist groups based in the Middle East.

"You've got Trump being labeled as a dictator in the United States and then of course when it comes to a real dictator in the Far East or when it comes to a real terrorist group out in the Middle East, you have social media giving free rein," Farmer told host Maria Bartiromo.

"And yet the alleged dictator in America, Donald Trump, who was painted as this great monster by social media, can't express himself on social media."

Earlier this year, Twitter said that even if former President Trump will run for office again, he would not regain access to his account, and maintained that his suspension from the platform is "permanent."

On Jan. 8, Twitter announced on its blog that Trump’s account, which had over 80 million followers, was permanently suspended. The reasoning was that keeping the @realDonaldTrump account active would increase the risk of "further incitement of violence."

The decision came after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Twitter pointed to a tweet from the former president on Jan. 8 that read: "The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!"

For years, before and during his presidency, Trump used Twitter to communicate directly to the American people — bypassing the media.

Facebook and Instagram also permanently blocked Trump from their platform in the wake of the Capitol riot.


In June, Facebook upheld its suspension of Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years before it will reassess, citing his "praise for people who engaged in violence."

Farmer told Bartiromo on Wednesday that Trump "would be welcome on Parler," noting that the company had been discussing the prospect with the former president and that he is under the impression Trump is "interested."

"We welcome him with open arms if he would like of to join us," Farmer said.

Last week, Twitter’s standards were called into question after users pointed out that a key Taliban spokesman has been using the platform to give updates about the group’s advance within the country while former President Trump’s account remains permanently suspended.

Zabihullah Mujahid’s account is not verified, but has 358,000 followers and is regularly cited by major news outlets. He tweeted an update on "military units" entering Kabul last week and wrote that their "advance is continuing normally."

Twitter and Facebook did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital last week after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country.

The Taliban is known for carrying out attacks that have killed thousands of civilians in the country. The Taliban, from 1996 to 2001, barred women from receiving educations or leaving a house without a male relative, Reuters reported.

The Taliban insisted that their fighters would not enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses and said they would offer "amnesty" to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.

But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days.

Speaking with Bartiromo on Wednesday, Farmer stressed that banning terrorist groups to post on his platform is "a very simple argument."

"I mean, should we give a voice to active terrorist groups? No," Farmer said.

"It’s amazing that social media, which directly censors sitting presidents, decides to not censor terrorist groups based in the Middle East," he added sarcastically.

"I find it remarkable that we are having this debate in the first place," he went on to say during the interview.

Farmer stressed that his company has taken "a strong policy against" allowing terrorist groups based in the Middle East to post on Parler.

He said it’s "remarkable" that the president of Iran and the Taliban have had accounts "for so long."

"All of these Middle Eastern-based groups, they seem to have been able to get free rein on social media," Farmer stressed.

After more than a month offline, Parler, which had more than 20 million users and was first launched in August 2018, relaunched in February using a new web hosting service, the company announced.

Last month, Amazon Web Services decided to suspend the upstart social media platform for failure to moderate "egregious content" related to the Capitol riot. The move took the site offline, until Parler could find another hosting service.

Apple and Google previously suspended Parler from its app stores, as liberals and many media pundits championed the move to de-platform the social media app.

Last week Reuters reported, citing four current and former law enforcement officials, that the FBI found "scant evidence" that the January attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Farmer maintained on Wednesday that he believes "we were unfairly taken down at the time."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
Eleven British Seafarers Receive Merchant Navy Medal
Which? Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Rental Listing to Expose Booking.com Vetting Weaknesses
BP Appoints New Chairman in Effort to Stabilise Leadership
Aberdeen Sells Hydrogen Bus Fleet at Heavy Loss After Green Transport Experiment
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Heat
Scotland Pledges to End Temporary Accommodation for Children and Build 111,000 Affordable Homes
DNO Agrees $396 Million Deal to Acquire Capricorn Energy
Uber and Wayve Launch UK’s First Supervised Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London
Britain Expected to Avoid New US Tariffs Targeting European Union
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Energy Costs Higher and Revives Inflation Concerns
UK Growth Forecast Cut to 1% Through 2027 as Youth Unemployment Is Projected to Rise
Andy Burnham Links Weak UK Growth to Brexit in First Full Commons Session as Prime Minister
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP, Triggering Holborn and St Pancras By-Election
UK Business Confidence Improves but Remains Deeply Negative
Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Sale Recovers Just Six Pence for Every Pound Invested
Which? Exposes Booking.com Verification Failures With Fake 10 Downing Street Listing
British Business Bank Invests Up to £46 Million in Deep-Tech Startup Fund
Scottish Government Puts Violence Against Women at Center of Legislative Program
FCA Eases UK IPO Rules to Strengthen London’s Listing Market
UK Likely to Avoid Next US Tariff Measures as Washington Targets EU
Macron Visits UK for Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition and Border Security Talks
British Chambers of Commerce Cuts UK Growth Outlook to 1% for 2026 and 2027
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP for Holborn and St Pancras, Triggering By-Election
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Unveils Devolution and Cost-of-Living Agenda
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as 30-Year Gilt Yield Reaches 5.88%
×