Facebook bans far-right groups, including the BNP and EDL, but antisemitism continues to flourish on platform
Facebook has reportedly banned a number of far-right groups, including the British National Party (BNP) and English Defence League (EDL) from its platform.
The groups, as well as key members of their leadership, have been banned from both Facebook and Instagram for violating rules around promoting hate and violence.
Britain First, the National Front and Knights Templar International have also been removed, as well as convicted neo-Nazi Jack Renshaw, National Action’s former spokesman.
National Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in December 2016 following a long campaign by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others. Under section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000, membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation is a criminal offence.
Other individuals reportedly banned include former BNP leader Nick Griffin, Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen, EDL member Paul Ray, Knights Templar International’s Jim Dowson and the National Front’s Tony Martin.
Facebook said it used an extensive process to work out which people or groups to designate as dangerous. This includes whether they have used hate speech and called for or directly carried out acts of violence against others based on factors such as race, ethnicity or national origin.
A spokeswoman for Facebook explained that: “Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook. Under our dangerous individuals and organisations policy, we ban those who proclaim a violent or hateful mission or are engaged in acts of hate or violence. The individuals and organisations we have banned today violate this policy, and they will no longer be allowed a presence on Facebook or Instagram. Posts and other content which expresses praise or support for these figures and groups will also be banned. Our work against organised hate is ongoing and we will continue to review individuals, organisations, pages, groups and content against our community standards.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomes Facebook’s decision to take decisive action and proactively remove extremists from the platform, however we regret that Facebook remains amongst the worst offenders when it comes to removing antisemitic incitement.