It’s surprising to find censorship from facebook when facebook is dedicated to the free expression of opinions. I suspect there are people in facebook who don’t want certain views and facts to be widely presented.
ON THIS PAGE
- What I said that Facebook would not allow me to post
- How The Times described the situation in Gaza and Israel
Extract from The New York Times, 21 May 2021 describing some of what Israeli forces did to the people of Gaza
Facebook’s explanation of why they censored me
- Facebook’s statement of its commitment to free speech
What I wrote about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, though only the reader could decide on the actual subject of the comments
Too many people think there’s a struggle going on between equals because that’s the way our media present it most of the time. Really one side is one of the most heavily armed states in the world, helped by the US and UK and it’s pushing around (and stealing land from) almost totally unarmed civilians with house demolitions, demolition of apartment blocks, infrastructure demolitions and the killing of hundreds of civilians. There is no excuse for not taking sides. War criminals should be brought to justice. See posts on my blog www.davidrobertsblog.com for more information and emails to my MP.
Extract from The Times editorial 22nd of May 2021
This item tells us something about the behaviour of Israel in its attempt to live alongside and with Palestinians.
“With the approval of the Trump administration, an emboldened Israel has stepped up the pace of settlements, demolitions and evictions of Palestinians in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
A nation state law passed in 2018 eroding the rights of Israeli Palestinians, along with chronic underfunding, property discrimination and bad policing, stoked a sense of growing grievance among the Arabs that make up 20% of Israel’s population. The tensions that ultimately exploded with rocket fire from Gaza began in East Jerusalem over the proposed evictions of Palestinians in favour of Jewish settlers, spawning a social media campaign named #saveSheikhJarrah that brought together Israeli Palestinians with those in West Bank and Jerusalem.
Far from solving the conflict, the man known as Mr Security may have helped open up a new front which no military operation can resolve, especially with Iranian backed Hamas in the ascendancy. Resolution can only come from the inside out.”
My note: “settlements” is another word for land-theft, evicting Palestinian owners to make way for Israelis to live in Palestinian property.
Extract from The New York Times, 21 May 2021 describing some of what Israeli forces did to the people of Gaza
NY Times online 21 May 2021
“In addition to killing more than 230 Palestinians in Gaza, including 65 children, the Israeli airstrikes have devastated civilian infrastructure, wrecked sewage systems and water pipes, damaged at least 17 hospitals and clinics, severely damaged or destroyed about 1,000 buildings and suspended operations at Gaza’s only coronavirus testing laboratory.”
What facebook said to explain their censorship
“Your comment goes against our community standards so only you can see it. Facebook.
We have these standards to prevent things such as false advertising, fraud and security breaches.
We don’t allow people to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a way that’s misleading to others.
We define spam as things such as:
• Repeating the same comment
• Getting fake likes, follows, shares or video views
• Coordinating likes and shares to mislead others about the popularity of something
Your comment goes against our Community Standards on spam, so no one else can see it.”
I ticked a box to say I disagreed with their decision.
Facebook continued
“You disagreed with the decision
We usually offer the chance to request a review, and follow up if we’ve gotten decisions wrong.
We have fewer reviewers available at the moment because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We’re trying hard to prioritise reviewing content with the most potential for harm.
This means that we may not be able to follow up with you, though your feedback helps us do better in the future.
Thank you for understanding”
FACEBOOK STATED POLICY
The goal of our Community Standards has always been to create a place for expression and give people a voice. This has not and will not change. Building community and bringing the world closer together depends on people’s ability to share diverse views, experiences, ideas and information. We want people to be able to talk openly about the issues that matter to them, even if some may disagree or find them objectionable.
