Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

Russian Embassy: Meta must be held accountable for allowing calls for violence

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen Net
  • 11 Mar 2022 09:30
  • 3 Shares
5 Min Read

The argument that Meta has allowed violence considering it is normal for people to call for violence against "invading" soldiers doesn't stand because of Meta's long history of silencing Palestinian content.

  • x
  • Facebook allowed the posting of social media content that incites violence against Russian soldiers or calls for Putin's death
    Facebook allowed the posting of social media content that incites violence against Russian soldiers or calls for Putin's death

On Thursday, Meta said in a statement that it has decided to allow the publication of calls for violence against Russian soldiers.

Russia’s Embassy in the United States responded to Meta’s change of policy, which was namely reflected on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, slamming it as “aggressive and criminal” and “outrageous”, because it allows for the “incitement of hatred and hostility towards Russians." Furthermore, the Embassy said the company’s actions present more evidence “of the information war without rules declared on our country.”

“Media corporations have become soldiers of the propaganda machine of the Western establishment," the Embassy’s statement read.

The Embassy further demanded that the US authorities stop the company’s “extremist activities” and bring them to justice, as the users of the social media platforms did not give the company the right “to determine the criteria of truth and pit nations against each other.”

On Thursday, Facebook removed a post from the Russian Embassy to the UK’s Facebook page, in which it called into question the Western narrative of the attack on Mariupol hospital. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN yesterday said that the hospital had been in fact transformed into a base for Ukrainian nationalists targeting Russian troops. Facebook removed the post under the pretense of it breaking the platform’s rules on "posting content about a violent tragedy, or victims of violent tragedies that include claims that a violent tragedy did not occur.”

Moreover, Meta Spokesperson Andy Stone retweeted a comment by Atlantic Council Resident Senior Fellow Emerson T. Brooking, who was attempting to justify Meta’s decision.

If you are piling onto this, at least read past the headline. If someone is at war, it is reasonable for them to call for violence against soldiers who have invaded their country.

"The Russians" almost always refers to Russian soldiers in these nations. https://t.co/5OjbClANjf

— Emerson T. Brooking (@etbrooking) March 10, 2022

Putting anti-Russian content being circulated on social media platforms aside, Meta, Google, and other Western platforms have been active in censoring Russian voices since the start of Russia's operation in Ukraine. Google Europe blocked Youtube channels connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe on March 1.

Meta's Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg said the company has limited access to the RT broadcaster and the Sputnik news agency across the European Union.

Clegg announced Monday on Twitter that "we have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state-controlled media. Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time."

In an email to Sputnik, Facebook stated that access to the agency's page had been banned "following a review of a legal request."

Reuters revealed that it's not just Russia, but also Belarus that's been affected, as calls for the death against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have been allowed on Facebook and Instagram.

And it's also not just users inside Ukraine, "The temporary policy changes on calls for violence to Russian soldiers apply to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, according to one email," Reuters said.

Related News

Facebook to Shut Down Facial Recognition Feature

Facebook Orders Staff to Keep Documents from Whistleblowers

Meta's bias

The bias against Russia aside, the argument that Meta has allowed this content on account of it being normal for people to call for violence against soldiers who have, as per the Big Tech firm, "Invaded their country" doesn't stand because of Meta's history of silencing Palestinian content on its platforms. 

A legal and justice center in London has filed a formal complaint against Facebook, accusing the social media platform of arbitrarily censoring and suspending accounts associated with Palestinian news agencies, advocates, and journalists.

According to the Palestinian social media monitoring center, Sada Social, 600 Palestinian accounts or pro-Palestinian Facebook posts were restricted or deleted in 2021, which is a record. The center helped launch a social media campaign called "Facebook Censors Jerusalem."

Rama Youssef, an Al-Quds-based journalist who volunteered for the campaign, said Facebook hews to an Israeli point of view and has "double standards". 

The Arab Center Washington DC think-tank assured that the Israeli occupation authorities also push to censor "tens of thousands of posts and accounts" that support the struggle of Palestinians.

Read more: 7 months In… Is the TikTok Intifada still raging?

Meta refused to answer questions about requests from the Israeli occupation authorities to do so.

A Human Rights Watch report released in October 2021 said Meta wrongfully removed and suppressed content by Palestinians and their supporters, including content regarding human rights abuses committed by "Israel" against Palestinians during the Seif Al-Quds battle.

Human Rights Watch documented several removals of posts by Meta's Instagram.

Those posts included:

1. A screenshot of New York Times photos and opinion articles, which a user posted with a caption urging Palestinians to never concede.

2. A photo of a building captioned: "This is a photo of my family’s building before it was struck by Israeli missiles on Saturday, May 15, 2021. We have three apartments in this building."

3. A political cartoon asserting that Palestinians are oppressed, not fighting a religious war with the occupation.

Instagram removed all the aforementioned posts for "containing hate speech or symbols."

There were reports regarding hundreds of deleted posts, suspended or restricted accounts, disabled groups, and so on, underlining Meta's censorship of the systemic violence against Palestine.

  • Palestine
  • Palestinian cause
  • Meta
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Facebook spokesperson
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
  • Ukraine crisis
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS