Trump appeals Facebook suspension, platform's oversight board reviews request

Facebook's Oversight Board says it has begun the process of reviewing an appeal made by former President Trump to regain access to the social media platform.

Facebook suspended Trump's account the day after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach claiming that the former president used "our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government." In the posts removed by the tech giant, Trump told supporters that “we have to have peace” and told them to “go home.”

The co-chair of the board, former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, says the independent board is funded by Facebook and made up of former journalists, politicians and academics. 

The decision on whether board members will allow Trump back to the platform is expected to be announced in about two and a half months. 

"A user statement has been received in the case before the Oversight Board concerning President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts," the board confirmed to the Epoch Times. "We will have no further comment concerning that statement until the Board has issued its decision."

Although Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg purportedly overrule the board's final decision, the board was created just last year and all financial backing comes from the company.