Facebook moderators allow graphic images of Russian airstrikes against Ukraine while censoring Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
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Palestinian Facebook and Instagram users are protesting the deletion of posts documenting airstrike deaths in the Gaza strip. Facebook's parent company, Meta, regularly removes imagery and videos of Israeli attacks on Palestinians, citing vague violations of community standards or often no explanation at all.
Examples of censored Palestinian content include the removal of a post mourning the death of Alaa Qaddoum, a 5-year-old girl killed in an Israeli missile strike, and Palestinians pulling bodies out from beneath the rubble.
"I’m just posting pure news about what’s happening," said Issam Adwan, a Gaza-based freelance journalist. It's unclear which of Meta's censorship systems was responsible for the censorship of the Palestinian posts, but often no information was given as to why they were deleted.
"It’s always been about geopolitics and profit for Meta," Marwa Fatafta, Middle East North Africa policy manager for Access Now.
"Meta should respect the right for people to speak out, whether in Ukraine or Palestine," said Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch.
In Solidarity,
Jenn
Video by Jason Loya
Business as usual, unfortunately.