Phot credit: AP

Former president of the United States, Donald Trump, will remain blocked from Facebook after a ruling from the company’s independent oversight board.

But it criticised the permanent nature of the ban as beyond the scope of Facebook’s normal penalties.

It has ordered Facebook to review the decision and “justify a proportionate response” that is applied to everyone, including ordinary users.

The decision will continue to deprive the former president of a vital mouthpiece.

Trump lashed out at big tech in a statement following the decision: “Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before . . . These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

The social media platform suspended Trump’s account indefinitely four months ago over fears he could stir further violence and unrest following the storming of the Capitol by a mob of the 45th president’s supporters on January 6.