Conservatives took to social media to defend several prominent personalities who were labeled “dangerous” and permanently banned on Facebook and Instagram. The recent blacklisting signified what many conservatives described as an advancing normality of censorship perpetrated by Silicon Valley overlords.

“The purposeful & calculated silencing of conservatives by @facebook & the rest of the Big Tech monopoly men should terrify everyone,” tweeted Donald Trump Jr., “It appears they’re taking their censorship campaign to the next level. Ask yourself, how long before they come to purge you? We must fight back.”

The purposeful & calculated silencing of conservatives by @facebook & the rest of the Big Tech monopoly men should terrify everyone. It appears they’re taking their censorship campaign to the next level. Ask yourself, how long before they come to purge you? We must fight back. — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 3, 2019

“The ‘who cares if whackos get banned from Facebook’ are the same suck-ups who thought the Covington kids smirked and Kavanaugh shouldn’t be on SCOTUS if Ford was telling the truth. They think they’ll be eaten last. They won’t,” said political commentator Julie Kelly.

“Same loser Conservative Inc that has ignored Leftist tyranny on campus, in corporate board rooms, in major media outlets, in Hollywood,” added Kelly, “Bumper sticker platitudes that have no attachment to reality or a realization what’s at stake.”

Same loser Conservative Inc that has ignored Leftist tyranny on campus, in corporate board rooms, in major media outlets, in Hollywood. Bumper sticker platitudes that have no attachment to reality or a realization what’s at stake. — Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 3, 2019

Others expressed their opinions about Facebook’s censorship:

These social media giants are either public utilities or publishers. They can be either they prefer, but it’s time to choose. They are being permitted to tiptoe between the raindrops unlike any other industry in America, and thus given too much power over the flow of information. — Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) May 3, 2019

Reminder that Conservative™ types who defend Big Tech banning (usually more interesting) anti-establishment figures don't understand the law. Section 230 of CDA forces companies to choose between subjective publisher or objective platform. Can't have it both ways! — Rob Shimshock (@ShimshockAndAwe) May 3, 2019

It’s a mainstream position now to want terrorists to be able to vote, but not for people who make you uncomfortable to be able to type words on social media. I can’t wrap my head around any of this. — Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) May 2, 2019

Paul Joseph Watson, Laura Loomer, Milo Yianappolous just unpersoned by Facebook in latest purge. Labeled "dangerous individuals." Banned for life. This censorship is beyond anti-American. It's truly Orwellian. Everyone should speak out against this. — Mark Dice (@MarkDice) May 2, 2019

What happened today to @PrisonPlanet, Laura Loomer, Alex Jones, and others is reprehensible. We have devolved so much as a society that we now believe banning people who hurt our feelings is the direction in which we should head. — CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) May 3, 2019

Facebook is meddling in the 2020 election — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 3, 2019

Many conservatives had also shared their thoughts about the banning of one personality in particular, YouTube star Paul Joseph Watson, who still has an account on Twitter at @PrisonPlanet. Watson says that he was banned despite never once having received a notice for violating Facebook or Instagram’s “terms of service.”

Why was @PrisonPlanet banned from Facebook and Instagram if he didn't violate their terms of service? This should concern everybody regardless of your political leanings. De-platforming everybody who doesn't 'tow the party line' is a dangerous precedent. — ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) May 3, 2019

There is simply no justification for Facebook's censorship of @PrisonPlanet. Silent conservatives, they're coming for you next. — Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) May 3, 2019

Blows my mind that there are “conservatives” who don’t see a significant problem with the summary deplatforming of guys like @PrisonPlanet. You fools will be whining up a storm when they come for you, which they will. — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 3, 2019

How the fuck are their liberals going "but muh private platform" but also telling private businesses they MUST serve certain people. Why should online platforms be exempt from civil rights law? — Tim Pool (@Timcast) May 2, 2019

They are not censoring @PrisonPlanet. They are censoring him first. Once all the dissenting voices are silenced you will see the true face of your overlords. Hoping this all stops and goes away is not going to work. Do you want a free and open internet? Or not? — Alistair Williams (@awilliamscomedy) May 3, 2019

This is the key point. Facebook will ban you for sharing Infowars links now, unless you're condemning them. It is openly punishing and rewarding users for their political opinions now. This is a formula for censoring not just websites and personalities, but their supporters too https://t.co/pNjGlbYAt9 — Allum Bokhari (@LibertarianBlue) May 2, 2019

The creepiest thing is not the bans, it's the threat that anyone else will be banned for talking about the people who were banned. That's chilling. That's giant corporations enforcing their own Communist Chinese-style social credit system. And leftists love it. — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) May 2, 2019

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.