The right-wing family pushing anti-quarantine events on Facebook

Over the past few days, against stay-at-home orders have up across the country.

There are people who want to end the quarantines and get back to business as usual — against the advice of health experts. But these protests aren’t exactly organic. They’re being organized and promoted by connected right-wing figures on Facebook, including a gun rights group. 

Five of these Facebook Groups — Wisconsinites, Pennsylvanians, Ohioans, Minnesotans, and New Yorkers Against Excessive Quarantine — are being run by a single family, the Dorrs. Facebook displays the administrators for both public and private Groups.

As the points out, the groups run by the Dorr family have a combined 200,000 members and counting. All were created in the past week. 

The Dorrs have a history of supporting right-wing causes. Ben Dorr, who is the admin for every one of the groups, is the political director of an organization called Minnesota Gun Rights. 

According to NBC News, Minnesota’s Senate Republican Caucus set up a website earlier this year labeling the Dorr family as scammers, and warned constituents to steer clear of their organizations.

The Dorrs have been promoting corresponding websites, such as ReOpenMN.com and ReOpenPA.com, in their Facebook Groups.

“Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook,” said a Facebook spokesperson in a statement provided to Mashable. “For this same reason, events that defy government’s guidance on social distancing aren’t allowed on Facebook.” 

It’s important to note the last part. Facebook is banning some anti-quarantine content. Events have to abide by guidelines set by the state and local governments. 

Those governments can contact Facebook to inform them of their specific social distancing guidelines and if a specific event is breaking those rules.

A recent poll found that 95 percent of Democrats and nearly 70 percent of Republicans supported a national stay-at-home order. There is the risk that anti-quarantine Facebook Groups could shift those numbers. 

Members of the Dorr family aren’t the only right-wing activists pushing dangerous anti-quarantine protests. 

Dozens of similar “reopen” or “against excessive quarantine” groups have popped up on Facebook over the past few days. BuzzFeed that some of these groups have coordinated with the Michigan Conservative Coalition, a right-wing organization with links to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, to plan its protests. The Guardian similarly noted some of these events have with conservative militia groups, anti-vaxxers, and far-right provocateurs like The Proud Boys.

And, of course, Donald Trump has also these anti-quarantine events through a of calling for states to be “liberated.”