Meta’s Facebook and Instagram social media platforms have come under fire after it emerged that have been hosting ads that call for Israel and the Jewish people to be eliminated.
According to a new report from The Telegraph, the ads use anti-Semitic slogans that call for the genocide of Jews.
The social networks have run multiple adverts in the U.K. and Europe, some seen by hundreds of thousands of people, containing the phrase since the October 7th attacks.
The adverts range from political statements to promotions for art, clothing, and jewelry seeking to capitalize on the phrase.
Facebook, and Instagram’s parent company Meta said it did not ban the phrase outright but blocked adverts when the phrase was used in a way that violated its policies.
The extended phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has been criticized by Israel’s supporters.
It is widely regarded as an anti-Semitic phrase calling for the destruction of the Jewish people.
The language has been banned by the online marketplace Etsy.
Elon Musk has also said using it will lead to suspension from Twitter/X.
Etsy banned the phrase last month, with an executive telling staff it had been co-opted by Hamas.
Musk said the phrase “necessarily implies genocide” and is against X’s terms of service.
As I said earlier this week, “decolonization”, “from the river to the sea” and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide.
Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension. https://t.co/1fCFo5Lezb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 17, 2023
One advert that ran on Meta’s platforms and was taken out by the Dutch political party Denk was seen more than 100,000 times, according to Meta’s online ad library.
Others looking to sell goods to support Hamas received thousands of views.
While several were removed, it was largely for not including disclaimers on who had paid for the ads, rather than their content.
One advert from a Muslim clothing specialist that declared “the world is against the genocide in Palestine” was removed last week.
The US House of Representatives recently censured a Democrat member partly over her use of the phrase “from the river to the sea.”
Radical Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) repeatedly used the phrase which the House said was “widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel.”
The UK government, meanwhile, has said the chant, used by pro-Hamas protesters, is “deeply offensive” to many.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, has been questioned over the company’s handling of anti-Semitic content.
Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to Zuckerberg on Friday demanding more information on the company’s policies after reports that Instagram was restricting content and banning accounts with little warning.
The company has also been warned by the EU to be “vigilant” about a rise in “hate speech” since the October 7 terror attacks and subsequent war in Gaza.
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