Today, I reached out to Facebook’s media relations department with questions regarding users’ reports that Facebook has been removing their attempts to share a post from the official page of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. The post itself, which remains on the museum’s page, includes a photo of Heinrich Himmler, one of the masterminds of the Holocaust, alongside a quote from a 1943 speech in which he disturbingly discusses the extermination of Jewish families. Facebook users have reported that their shares of the post were removed, citing community guideline violations, which has sparked concerns about the platform’s moderation process.
The Auschwitz Memorial, which plays a crucial role in educating the public about the Holocaust, highlighted the importance of the post in understanding both the victims and perpetrators of the genocide. In their response to the reported removals, the museum stated, “While we acknowledge the necessity of social media in preventing the spread of antisemitic and hateful content, it’s crucial to understand the role of institutions like the Auschwitz Memorial in educating about the tragic consequences of hatred, which took place in Auschwitz and beyond.”
At the core of the museum’s post was a chilling quote from Himmler’s speech during a conference of Nazi SS leaders in Posen, where he addressed the systematic extermination of Jewish families, including children. Himmler said:
“We were faced with the question: what about the women and children? – I decided to find a clear solution to this problem too. I did not consider myself justified to exterminate the men […] and allow the avengers of our sons and grandsons in the form of their children to grow up.”
He went on to add:
“The difficult decision had to be made to have this people disappear from the earth.”
After emailing Facebook this morning, I received no immediate response. Later this evening, I followed up with a second email, reiterating my request for clarification on several issues. Specifically, I asked:
- Were these shared posts removed intentionally, and if so, why?
- What is Facebook’s justification for repeatedly removing shared posts from the Auschwitz Memorial?
- What measures is Meta taking to address antisemitic content on its platform, and how many of those posts are removed compared to educational content like this?
Numerous users expressed frustration over the incident. Multiple people reported that Facebook immediately removed their attempts to share the post, with others resorting to screenshots to preserve the content.
“Mine was removed, so I requested a review, which they still upheld the removal, so I entered an appeal,” one woman commented. “I likely won’t see an outcome, but it’s the point.”
“They wanted to ban me for sharing,” another person said.
Others commented that after filing numerous appeals, their post shares were reinstated.
This is not the first time Facebook has been criticized for its treatment of content from the Auschwitz Memorial. In April, the company reportedly apologized for flagging similar posts as violating its community standards.
A Reddit user responding to this article suggested the problem goes back years:
Compounding the frustration is Facebook’s apparent inconsistency in handling antisemitic content. A 2021 study revealed that the platform failed to act on 89% of antisemitic posts flagged by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
Facebook has been the most popular social media platform for more than a decade.
In 2020, a 50-state survey of adults under 40 found that “63 percent of all national survey respondents do not know that six million Jews were murdered, and 36 percent thought that ‘two million or fewer Jews’ were killed during the Holocaust.”
After publishing this article, I tried sharing it on Discrepancy Report’s Facebook page, and it was immediately removed with the below explanations:
I requested a review and emailed Facebook again, asking why the post was removed and for a response to my previous questions. About 15 minutes later, Facebook restored my post with the below explanation:
I then tried sharing the post on my personal Facebook profile, but it was removed again with the same explanation. I once again requested a review, and about a half-hour later, it was reinstated also for the same reason.
I ran into problems once again on Tuesday when I tried sharing the article on a different Facebook page, one whose administrators allow me to post. Facebook removed the post I tried to put up and then upheld its removal after I requested a review.
I then filed a formal appeal to Facebook’s Oversight Board, a much longer process involving a detailed essay explaining why the post should be reinstated.
I’m still awaiting a response from that board and Facebook’s media relations department regarding my previous questions. I will provide an update once I hear back.
