Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused TikTok of trying to incite civil war in his country. He stated that the Chinese-owned company blocked his live-streaming services on the platform until August 19. During a meeting of the country’s defense council, Maduro criticized TikTok for supporting fascism in Latin America and around the world, claiming that they are responsible for the victory of Argentine President Milei and the fascists.
Maduro received an automated message from TikTok accusing his profile of promoting violence, which he denied. He mentioned that the platform was actually promoting violent protests carried out by his opponents. Despite his accusations, TikTok did not immediately respond to his comments.
This is not the first time Maduro has spoken out against social media platforms. He previously called on the Venezuelan public to uninstall WhatsApp and temporarily blocked X, formerly Twitter, across the country. The Venezuelan leader has been facing fierce unrest and public discontent after his re-election was announced by the country’s electoral council, which consists of his allies.
Opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez’s allies have contested the election results, claiming that Gonzalez won by nearly 3.9 million votes. Independent bodies have verified the vote tally sheets signed by the heads of each electoral district. Researchers from the University of Michigan’s department of statistics have also analyzed the tally sheets and declared with 99.5% certainty that Gonzalez was the true winner of the election.
Despite these claims, Maduro has refused to concede defeat and release the final voting figures proving his victory. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the election results, stating that they do not represent the will of the Venezuelan people. He later congratulated Gonzalez on his victory.
The situation in Venezuela remains tense, with political tensions running high. The accusations against TikTok by Maduro add another layer of complexity to the already volatile political landscape in the country. It will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds and whether TikTok will respond to the Venezuelan president’s allegations.
