Racial Violence allowed on Facebook

June 18, 2014: Expo Today (Swedish Media) mentioned OHPI in an article on how Facebook allows incitement to racial violence go unchecked on its platform. http://expo.se/2014/uppmaningar-till-rasistiskt-vald-tillats-av-facebook_6550.html

Facebook group “We who do not want to party with immigrants” do not violate Facebook’s “community rules”. That answer got a user who responded to the group which calls for violence against immigrants. Facebook has previously been criticized for not acting against racism.

Facebook group “We who do not want to party with immigrants” who were registered in 2012 writes in his presentation:

“This is a side of us that are tired of all the immigrants who disturb and sabotage at the pub and house parties., We have realized that it is nicer to go to the pub or at a party where there are only Europeans.”

Facebook group administrators links to propaganda from Nazi Swedes party and advertise the party event. The group also calls for violence against immigrants:

“Would an immigrant trasha s summer so we can admin recommend that you speak the only language rowdy immigrants understand. An edited Swedish knogmacka!” Writes the group’s administrators in a recently posted status update.

The group also links to racist chants and writes “invandrarfri nice weekend.”

Many have reacted against the hate group and as reported, a dozen users reported the site to Facebook. Expo Today has noted a notifier correspondence with Facebook in Sweden, which means that the group does not violate the site’s “community rules”.

“We have reviewed your notice of us who do not want to party with immigrants.
Thank you for taking the time to report anything that you feel violate our Community Rules. It is this kind of action that will allow Facebook to continue to be a safe and welcoming environment. We have audited the page you are notified because of the hateful content or hateful symbols and has determined that it does not violate our Community Rules. “Writes Facebook in response to the notification.

The notifier was not satisfied with the initial response from Facebook and even sent over a variety of images from Facebookgsruppen to show racism. Although the pictures do not have Facebook taken any action. Neither the company provides no justification for its decision, but wrote that they did not have “the ability to reply to individual messages.”

Facebook has previously been criticized for failing to stop the racism that spread through social media. Online Hate Prevention Institute of Australia which surveyed Islamophobia and anti-Semitism at Facebook, wrote in their reports that Facebook is not doing enough to stop racism. Organization recommends including the company to train its staff to detect and act against racism.

Today Expo have searched Facebook’s PR manager in Sweden for comment.