Police in Boston was gearing up for possible clashes Saturday between "Straight Pride Parade" demonstrators supportive of President Donald Trump and counter-protesters who accuse them of being homophobic and extremist.

A group calling itself Super Happy Fun America has organized the controversial parade in response to the hugely popular gay pride parades that take place in US cities every year.

Critics say organizers are white-supremacists whose intent is to bait members of the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bhutan-gays-celebrate-after-homosexuality-decriminalised-225526"> LGBT community</a> in one of America's most liberal cities and have arranged demonstrations to oppose it.

"There are no racists in our group. You have to come to one of our meetings: it's like the United Nations," president John Hugo told AFP, defending the parade.

The demonstrations come as tensions simmer between leftists and white nationalists in the United States.

Two weeks ago, a far-right rally and counter-demonstration by anti-fascist protestors in the city of Portland passed with no major incident amid a heavy police presence.

Super Happy Fun America's website says Saturday's march is to "spread awareness of issues impacting straights," describing heterosexuals as "an oppressed majority" in Massachusetts, the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage.

But the parade will have a clear political slant too, with participants due to walk alongside pro-Trump floats.&nbsp;

The group's website displays a doctored photo of Trump holding a sign saying #GreatToBeStraight.

Prominent members of America's far-right movement, known as the "alt-right," are scheduled to speak, including former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been banned from several social media sites.

Enrique Tarrio, a member of the all-male "Proud Boys" organization, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is also due to attend.

Some 1,200 people are planning to join the parade, which starts at noon (1600 GMT) in Copley Square and ends at Boston City Hall around a mile and a half (2.4 kilometres) away, according to a Facebook group.

Police will cordon off the area and have said they will deploy uniformed and undercover officers along the route.

Several anti-Trump organisations and gay rights supporters have said they will try to block the parade. At least two counter-protests are planned, the first starting at 9:00 am.

"We are certainly not going to start any violence but we will defend ourselves if we have to," said Hugo, 56.

A "Straight Pride" held last Saturday in Modesto, California attracted only a few dozen people and about 250 counter-protesters, according to local newspaper The Modesto Bee. 
&nbsp;

Police in Boston was gearing up for possible clashes Saturday between "Straight Pride Parade" demonstrators supportive of President Donald Trump and counter-protesters who accuse them of being homophobic and extremist.

Police in Boston was gearing up for possible clashes Saturday between "Straight Pride Parade" demonstrators supportive of President Donald Trump and counter-protesters who accuse them of being homophobic and extremist. A group calling itself Super Happy Fun America has organized the controversial parade in response to the hugely popular gay pride parades that take place in US cities every year. Critics say organizers are white-supremacists whose intent is to bait members of the LGBT community in one of America's most liberal cities and have arranged demonstrations to oppose it. "There are no racists in our group. You have to come to one of our meetings: it's like the United Nations," president John Hugo told AFP, defending the parade. The demonstrations come as tensions simmer between leftists and white nationalists in the United States. Two weeks ago, a far-right rally and counter-demonstration by anti-fascist protestors in the city of Portland passed with no major incident amid a heavy police presence. Super Happy Fun America's website says Saturday's march is to "spread awareness of issues impacting straights," describing heterosexuals as "an oppressed majority" in Massachusetts, the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage. But the parade will have a clear political slant too, with participants due to walk alongside pro-Trump floats. The group's website displays a doctored photo of Trump holding a sign saying #GreatToBeStraight. Prominent members of America's far-right movement, known as the "alt-right," are scheduled to speak, including former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been banned from several social media sites. Enrique Tarrio, a member of the all-male "Proud Boys" organization, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is also due to attend. Some 1,200 people are planning to join the parade, which starts at noon (1600 GMT) in Copley Square and ends at Boston City Hall around a mile and a half (2.4 kilometres) away, according to a Facebook group. Police will cordon off the area and have said they will deploy uniformed and undercover officers along the route. Several anti-Trump organisations and gay rights supporters have said they will try to block the parade. At least two counter-protests are planned, the first starting at 9:00 am. "We are certainly not going to start any violence but we will defend ourselves if we have to," said Hugo, 56. A "Straight Pride" held last Saturday in Modesto, California attracted only a few dozen people and about 250 counter-protesters, according to local newspaper The Modesto Bee.

Heightened security in Boston for 'pro-straight parade'

Facebook on Thursday banned controversial black <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-bans-uk-far-right-groups-including-bnp-edl-britain-first-211564">activist leader Louis Farrakhan</a>, far-right icon Alex Jones and several others in a heightened crackdown on hate content at the leading social network.

"We've always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology," Facebook said in a statement.

The most prominent to be banned were Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, accused of being anti-Semitic and black supremacist; and Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist best known for calling the 9/11 attacks an inside job and describing the Sandy Hook school massacre as a hoax. Jones's organization Infowars was also banned by Facebook.

Others banned Thursday from Facebook and Instagram were Paul Nehlen, a political candidate espousing white supremacist views; Milo Yiannopoulos, know for neo-Nazi rhetoric; and conspiracy theorists Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer.

Facebook announced the bans on the grounds they violated policies against dangerous individuals and organizations.

"Individuals and organizations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook," a spokeswoman for Facebook said.

Such bans typically include prohibiting others at the social network from using the platform to post praise or support from those no longer welcomed.

"Today's announcement from Facebook is a step in the right direction," said Cristina Lopez G., deputy director for extremism at nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters for America.

"The majority of the newly banned figures -&nbsp;Yiannopoulos, Loomer, Watson, Jones, and Nehlen -&nbsp;owed their influence to the massive reach they were allowed to cultivate through Facebook and Instagram." Banning the accounts should help limit the spread of radical and often violent far-right ideology, according to Lopez.

Facebook last month banned various far-right British groups including the English Defense League from its network for promoting hate and violence.

Other groups kicked off both Facebook or Instagram last month included Knights Templar International, Britain First, the British National Party (BNP) and the National Front.

The tech titan banned the groups for contravening its policy forbidding "terrorist activity, organized hate, mass or serial murder, human trafficking or organized violence or criminal activity".

Former BNP leader Nick Griffin and Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen were also been banned in the crackdown.

Facebook on Thursday banned controversial black activist leader Louis Farrakhan, far-right icon Alex Jones and several others in a heightened crackdown on hate content at the leading social network.

Facebook on Thursday banned controversial black activist leader Louis Farrakhan, far-right icon Alex Jones and several others in a heightened crackdown on hate content at the leading social network. "We've always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology," Facebook said in a statement. The most prominent to be banned were Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, accused of being anti-Semitic and black supremacist; and Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist best known for calling the 9/11 attacks an inside job and describing the Sandy Hook school massacre as a hoax. Jones's organization Infowars was also banned by Facebook. Others banned Thursday from Facebook and Instagram were Paul Nehlen, a political candidate espousing white supremacist views; Milo Yiannopoulos, know for neo-Nazi rhetoric; and conspiracy theorists Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer. Facebook announced the bans on the grounds they violated policies against dangerous individuals and organizations. "Individuals and organizations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook," a spokeswoman for Facebook said. Such bans typically include prohibiting others at the social network from using the platform to post praise or support from those no longer welcomed. "Today's announcement from Facebook is a step in the right direction," said Cristina Lopez G., deputy director for extremism at nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters for America. "The majority of the newly banned figures - Yiannopoulos, Loomer, Watson, Jones, and Nehlen - owed their influence to the massive reach they were allowed to cultivate through Facebook and Instagram." Banning the accounts should help limit the spread of radical and often violent far-right ideology, according to Lopez. Facebook last month banned various far-right British groups including the English Defense League from its network for promoting hate and violence. Other groups kicked off both Facebook or Instagram last month included Knights Templar International, Britain First, the British National Party (BNP) and the National Front. The tech titan banned the groups for contravening its policy forbidding "terrorist activity, organized hate, mass or serial murder, human trafficking or organized violence or criminal activity". Former BNP leader Nick Griffin and Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen were also been banned in the crackdown.

Facebook bans Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos

Hundreds of protesters turned violent on Wednesday at the University of California at Berkeley for inviting right-wing speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, editor of conservative news website Breitbart.&nbsp;

Students smashed windows, hurled rocks, lit wooden pallets on fire and chanted &quot;shut him down&quot; as riot police fired tear gas at them.&nbsp;

Yiannopoulos, a stunch supporter of US President Donald Trump is the technology editior of Breitbart, created furor after abusing &quot;Ghostbusters&quot; actress Leslie Jones on Twitter.&nbsp;

He was banned by Twitter.&nbsp;

The university was put on a lockdown after his appearance was cancelled.&nbsp;

Yiannopoulos had been invited by the conservative student group. He has become the face of &quot;alt-right movement&quot; after being a vocal supporter for Donald Trump, going as far as calling &#39;Daddy&#39;.&nbsp;

Similar protests have taken place at the University of California last month and had to cancel speeches by Yiannopoulos.

&nbsp;Officials at the University of California stressed that they did not invite Yiannopoulos or endorse his ideas. But they are committed to free speech.

(WION with inputs AFP)

Students smashed windows, hurled rocks, lit wooden pallets on fire and chanted 'shut him down' over the appearance of Milo Yiannopoulos

Hundreds of protesters turned violent on Wednesday at the University of California at Berkeley for inviting right-wing speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, editor of conservative news website Breitbart. Students smashed windows, hurled rocks, lit wooden pallets on fire and chanted "shut him down" as riot police fired tear gas at them. Yiannopoulos, a stunch supporter of US President Donald Trump is the technology editior of Breitbart, created furor after abusing "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones on Twitter. He was banned by Twitter. The university was put on a lockdown after his appearance was cancelled. Yiannopoulos had been invited by the conservative student group. He has become the face of "alt-right movement" after being a vocal supporter for Donald Trump, going as far as calling 'Daddy'. Similar protests have taken place at the University of California last month and had to cancel speeches by Yiannopoulos. Officials at the University of California stressed that they did not invite Yiannopoulos or endorse his ideas. But they are committed to free speech. (WION with inputs AFP)

Violent protests erupt at Berkeley over Breitbart editor appearance

An editor at the conservative American website, Breitbart has been banned from Twitter following targeted racial slurs that drove &quot;Ghostbusters&quot; star Leslie Jones to abandon the social media platform in disgust. 
 
Twitter Inc said Tuesday it had moved to permanently suspend a number of user accounts for abuse and harassment after Jones drew renewed attention to the issue and announced she would quit the social media site. 
 
&quot;Your account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter rules ... specifically our rules prohibiting or participating in or inciting targeted abuse of individuals,&quot; the Twitter notification posted by Breitbart said. 
 
Among those banned Tuesday was Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been a controversial figure on the site and helped lead the abuse against Jones.&nbsp; 
 
Yiannopoulos, was quoted by Breitbart late Tuesday as calling his suspension &quot;cowardly&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The suspension came a day after Jones, who is African American, said she was leaving Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls likening her to an ape and making other racist insults.&nbsp; 
 
Jones retweeted and shared several abusive tweets she received Monday before telling her 250,000 followers: &quot;I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today...wrong.&quot; 
 
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded with a tweet back to Jones saying he was &quot;following&quot; and asking her to contact him directly.Yiannopoulos Twitter account, which had more than 388,000 followers, was blocked sometime later. 
 
Twitter has long come under criticism for not doing enough to police abusive behavior on the often-freewheeling messaging service. 
 
Other celebrities have taken issue with abuse on the site, including writer and actress Lena Dunham, who said in September she had hired someone to tweet on her behalf because it was no longer a &quot;safe space&quot; for her. 
 
Supporters started a #LoveForLeslieJ hashtag, encouraging Jones to &quot;stay strong&quot; and return to Twitter, while celebrities including actors John Boyega and Jada Pinkett Smith publicly offered their support. 
 
&quot;Ghostbusters&quot; director Paul Feig tweeted: &quot;Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
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"Ghostbusters'' star Leslie Jones quits Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls, Twitter announces crackdown

An editor at the conservative American website, Breitbart has been banned from Twitter following targeted racial slurs that drove "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones to abandon the social media platform in disgust. Twitter Inc said Tuesday it had moved to permanently suspend a number of user accounts for abuse and harassment after Jones drew renewed attention to the issue and announced she would quit the social media site. "Your account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter rules ... specifically our rules prohibiting or participating in or inciting targeted abuse of individuals," the Twitter notification posted by Breitbart said. Among those banned Tuesday was Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been a controversial figure on the site and helped lead the abuse against Jones. Yiannopoulos, was quoted by Breitbart late Tuesday as calling his suspension "cowardly". The suspension came a day after Jones, who is African American, said she was leaving Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls likening her to an ape and making other racist insults. Jones retweeted and shared several abusive tweets she received Monday before telling her 250,000 followers: "I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today...wrong." Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded with a tweet back to Jones saying he was "following" and asking her to contact him directly.Yiannopoulos Twitter account, which had more than 388,000 followers, was blocked sometime later. Twitter has long come under criticism for not doing enough to police abusive behavior on the often-freewheeling messaging service. Other celebrities have taken issue with abuse on the site, including writer and actress Lena Dunham, who said in September she had hired someone to tweet on her behalf because it was no longer a "safe space" for her. Supporters started a #LoveForLeslieJ hashtag, encouraging Jones to "stay strong" and return to Twitter, while celebrities including actors John Boyega and Jada Pinkett Smith publicly offered their support. "Ghostbusters" director Paul Feig tweeted: "Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all." (Reuters)

Breitbart editor banned from Twitter over racial abuse