Maduro deletes WhatsApp on live TV, calls on supporters to do the same

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro deleted WhatsApp from his phone during a live television broadcast and has called on his supporters to follow suit, claiming the messaging service is being exploited by ‘fascists’ to incite and organize violence. Maduro, who declared a win in last month’s highly contested presidential election, called for a ‘voluntary, progressive, and radical withdrawal’ from the Meta-owned app, advocating instead for alternative platforms such as Telegram.

Opposition supporters, argued Maduro, were using WhatsApp to coordinate, ‘threatening the military family, the police, the street leaders, the community, everyone who doesn’t declare themselves in favor of fascism.’ He also slammed TikTok and Instagram for promoting ‘hate,’ promising regulatory measures.

Maduro’s crackdown comes amid claims that his opponents are stoking tensions and inciting riots across Venezuela with accusations of electoral fraud, something the president has vehemently denied.