Facebook, Instagram criticised for hosting far-right group with 80,000 followers
Social media giants accused by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate of allowing neo-Nazis and antisemites freedom to express extremist views
Tali is a reporter at Jewish News
Facebook and Instagram have come under fire for hosting a white supremacist network with over 80,000 followers and links to the UK far right.
The network, which includes more than 40 neo-Nazi sites, offers NaziSS merchandise, antisemitic clothing and record labels featuring bands with names including Gas Chambers.
According to a report from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), sales of the merchandise fund two neo-Nazi extreme movements operating from Ukraine.
Among the examples highlighted in the report is an account called Stay Brave Streetwear, which sells clothing featuring neo-Nazi imagery both on its website and directly on Facebook.
Facebook was warned of the neo-Nazi network two years ago, according to the Coalition for a Safer Web, and the network has grown significantly since then.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of CCDH, said: “Facebook’s leadership endangered public safety by letting neo-Nazis finance their activities through Facebook and Instagram.
“Facebook was first told about this problem two years ago and failed to act.”
Ahmed, who is a member of the pilot group for the government’s commission on countering extremism, added: “This lack of action would not have gone unnoticed by extremists, who now know that Facebook allows them to recruit, organise and raise funds without interference.”
Facebook, which owns Instagram, revealed figures on the prevalence of hate speech on their platforms for the first time last week. They revealed that across July, August and September approximately one in 1,000 pieces of content viewed included hate speech. Facebook also said it had acted over 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content during the same three months.
One of the Facebook pages is called ‘Gas Chambers’ where visitors are directed to sites including images of white skinheads standing next to a murdered black man and a Jewish man, with the caption: “Aggravated assault: It could happen to you.”
In a company statement, Facebook said: “We have removed the content which violates our policies prohibiting dangerous organisations.
“We regularly work to improve our technology to find and remove this content faster, and, while there is more work to do, we are making progress. We’ve banned over 250 white supremacist organisations from Facebook and Instagram.”
A CST spokesperson said: “CST has repeatedly warned that policies banning hate on social media are worthless if not properly enforced.
“We understand that Facebook may have now belatedly removed this latest example of hate, but it is not good enough that others have to find such hatred and then report it. Facebook need to know why their systems failed, yet again.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
