Meta shouldn’t remove ‘from the river to the sea’ as hate speech, says Oversight Board

Meta’s semi-independent Oversight Board says the company made the right call in letting Facebook users post pro-Palestine messages with the phrase “from the river to the sea.”

In a decision published today, the board concluded the slogan “has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions.” Consequently, it shouldn’t be removed under hate speech policies unless it’s accompanied by other violating content — like explicitly antisemitic sentiments or praise for terrorist groups.

Following the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent retaliation by Israel, online service operators were faced with a flood of posts and videos related to the conflict, particularly posts that supported…

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