Parler, the conservative alternative to Twitter, filed a lawsuit against Amazon Monday afternoon, just hours after the company removed the social media site from its web hosting apparatus, essentially scrubbing the platform from the internet.
In the 18-page lawsuit, Parler alleges the decision by Amazon Web Services violates antitrust laws and is in breach of contract because AWS failed to provide 30 days’ notice before terminating its account with Parler.
“AWS’s decision to effectively terminate Parler’s account is apparently motivated by political animus,” reads the legal complaint. “It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.”
In the emergency suit, Parler is seeking a temporary restraining order against Amazon’s action to shut down the platform, arguing, “Doing so is the equivalent of pulling the plug on a hospital patient on life support,” adding, “It will kill Parler’s business — at the very time it is set to skyrocket.”
As CBN News previously reported, Parler was also suspended from the Apple App Store and Google Play over the weekend. In a memo to Parler, Apple said it had “received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content” on the platform, including allegations that the site was used “to plan, coordinate, and facilitate” the violent rioting that unfolded in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
A Google spokesperson told Fox News the company was “aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence.”
It’s worth noting Parler had taken down several posts from Lin Wood, a lawyer associated with President Donald Trump. Wood called for Vice President Mike Pence’s execution, writing on the site, “Get the firing squads ready. Pence goes FIRST.”
The rioting in the Capitol last week resulted in the deaths of five people, including an officer with the Capitol Police.