Santa Claus is back on Facebook after his account was suspended on Christmas Day.
A city councilman from North Pole, Alaska, whose name is legally Santa Claus, had his account suspended after the social media company asked for proof of identity. Claus has had the account for eight years and has over 300,000 followers. He said he uses his page to help spread the joy of Christmas through inspirational stories, quotes and photos.
A Facebook spokesperson said the suspension was a mistake and issued a statement: “We’re very sorry about this mistake. The account was removed in error and restored as soon as we were able to investigate. Our team processes millions of reports each week, and we sometimes get things wrong.”
Claus said Facebook never gave him a reason for the suspension, but added that it came after he had been asked to prove his identity several times.
“They just don’t believe my name is Santa Claus or I live in North Pole,” he told Newsminer.com, the website of the Fairbanks, Alaska News-Miner newspaper.
He said he sent Facebook numerous documents to prove his real name is Santa Claus and that he really is from a town called North Pole.
“I just can’t believe somebody, particularly on Christmas, would take me to task,” he told News-Miner. “I am blessed to live in a relatively small community and have friends and neighbors and hundreds of thousands of folks who like my page who are willing to help right wrongs, perceived and real. My Facebook page is a labor of love, and I would never intentionally abandon you. Thank you for your understanding.”
