Facebook is a social network where anyone can share their views and have it heard by millions in an instant. While free speech is a freedom that everyone enjoys, some people exploit that right to serve their own prejudices.
A Facebook page called “F*ck Israel†has been stirring a lot of controversy. A petition is now swirling around the site and garnering support in an effort to pressure Facebook to close the page.
The petition was started by Michael Mendelson with the support of several Pro-Israel groups and has already collected more than 75,000 likes. According to Mendelson, he has not been in contact with any Facebook officials though he speculates that the petition will need roughly 10 times the number of likes as the “F*ck Israel†page in order for Facebook to act.
The Anti-Defamation League has also stepped in and urged Facebook to step up and remove all offensive comments and remarks on the page.
The “F*ck Israel†page has 36,000 likes so far and has statements that praise Adolf Hitler and also refers to Jews as pigs, apes and baby killers. The page, however, also contains a number of comments that stand behind Israel and boldly denounce the hateful sentiments.
According to Abraham Cooper, a Los Angeles rabbi, there are about two dozen other similar groups on Facebook as well as others on Twitter and Youtube. Most of them are believed to be started by Muslim groups. Most of these pages contain a logo of the Palestinian flag or the Israel flag with a censor mark over it.
Facebook is also home to several pages dedicated to the defamation of Mormons, Muslims, Christians and Hindus. While Facebook has been responsive and have removed pages containing offensive material, the creators of such groups are often allowed to create another page under a different name.
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