Toronto (March 28, 2019) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) supports Facebook’s decision to extend its ban on hate speech to white nationalism and white separatism.

In an announcement posted yesterday, Facebook said its policies “have long prohibited hateful treatment of people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or religion,” which includes white supremacy. The ban will now extend to “praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism.”

“White nationalists and separatists in many cases have links to the neo-Nazi movement and other hate groups that carry hateful and violent ideologies,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “While free speech is an important aspect of social media platforms such as Facebook, it’s critical that these platforms track and control any content that promotes hate and violence.”

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Media Contact:

Avital Borisovsky
Communications Associate
416-864-9735 ext. 29
aborisovsky@fswc.ca