Presidential election campaign ad downloaded from social network after showing Nazi emblem on it • Trump campaign claimed it was Antifa's logo
Enable censorship? Facebook Logo // Photo: Reuters
Social networking giant Facebook announced Thursday that it will download ads from US President Donald Trump's election campaign after being found to be in violation of company policy on hate speech.
The ads that triggered the fierce response called for action against "a dangerous mob of extremist leftist groups" alongside a photo of the reverse three. The Anti-Defamation League complained about the ad and it claims the triangle is the same as the triangle used by the Nazis to classify regime opponents in concentration camps.
"We removed the ad and posts that shared it because it violated our anti-organized hate policy. Our policy prohibits the use of hate-related icons without providing context or discussion of the symbol or group," Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman, told CNN.
The Trump campaign claimed that the red triangle presented was a symbol that was "frequently used" by the Antifa activist group and that the campaign was intended to provoke opposition to the group and its like. A brief examination reveals that the symbol has never been used by the group in a common or official manner and is certainly not one of its prominent symbols.
The Trump campaign provided several links to Antifa's use of the emblem. According to Facebook, the ad started circulating online last week and was funded by the Trump campaign. The company estimates that more than one million users saw the ad.
Facebook has been at the center of criticism in the past when it claims to be selectively targeting right-wing activists and publications but refraining from hurting leftist publications and allowing publications expressing support for terrorism and organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
