MANILA, Philippines – This year’s F8, Facebook’s developers’ conference, stepped into political territory as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg supposedly took a discreet swipe at controversial US presidential candidate Donald Trump during his keynote speech. (READ: Facebook’s F8 conference: What it is, what to expect)

During the conference being held at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, April 12 (Wednesday, April 13 in Manila), Zuckerberg called out people who are against the “idea of a connected world and a global community.”

“As I look around and as I travel around the world, I’m starting to see people and nations turning inward, against this idea of a connected world and a global community,” the social media giant’s CEO said.

“I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as other. For blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, reducing trade, and in some cases around the world even cutting access to the internet.”

Republican front runner Trump has been receiving widespread criticism for his remarks against Muslims and immigrants. Last year, Trump angered Mexico when he unveiled a plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border to stop Mexican immigrants from entering the US illegally. (READ: Mexico’s Calderon compares Trump to Hitler)

Zuckerberg urged the F8 conference’s delegates to “help people build bridges” instead of “building walls.” 

“If the world starts to turn inwards, then our community will just have to work even harder to bring them all together,” he added. 

Last October, Zuckerberg also found himself on the receiving end of Trump’s tirades, with the presidential candidate hitting Zuckerberg’s push for a more open immigration policy.

After his keynote speech, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page that his speech was “different” from any other speech he’s given.

“This isn’t about any one person or country. It’s a worldview about connecting all people and nations,” he said. 

– Rappler.com

For this year’s F8 conference, Rappler and Kickstart Ventures are partnering with Facebook to cohost a viewing party and networking event dubbed F8 Meetup Manila.

The event happens at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, April 13 (Manila time) at the Rappler office in Pasig City.