Meta announced it will remove hate speech targeting “Zionists” used to refer to Jews and Israelis with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence.
In a press release, the company said they consulted with 145 stakeholders from civil society and academia globally, including political scientists, historians, legal scholars, civil rights groups, and human rights experts.
“We do not allow content that attacks people on the basis of protected characteristics such as nationality, race, or religion, among others,” the announcement said. “We do allow people to criticize adherents of political affiliations and ideologies.”
Meta acknowledges the lack of global consensus on what people mean when they use the term “Zionist,” which carries many meanings based on its origins and context.
They argued that while it refers to a political movement, it can also function as a proxy for Jewish or Israeli individuals, who are protected under hate speech policies.
Therefore, based on their research and on-platform investigation into its use as a proxy term in hateful attacks, Meta will remove content targeting “Zionists.”
Previously, under their hate speech policy, “Zionist” was treated as a proxy for Jewish or Israeli people in cases where Zionists were compared to rats or when the context clearly indicated it meant “Jew” or “Israeli.”
Now, they will also remove content attacking Zionists when it does not explicitly pertain to the political movement.
Instead, content that uses antisemitic stereotypes, threatens harm through intimidation or violence, and includes claims of world domination or controlling the media, dehumanizing comparisons, calls for physical harm, denials of existence, or mocking related to health issues.
To address comparisons between Zionists and criminals, Meta has referred some cases to their independent Oversight Board.
These cases involve criminal comparisons where protected characteristics are used as shorthand for governments, soldiers, or specific groups, which Meta considers to be primarily political rather than hateful.
Users with repeat violations of this policy may face suspension or removal of their account.
Meta said they protect “voice and legitimate free expression in other content about Zionists.
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Last February, during the policy discussions, 73 organizations sent a letter to Meta expressing concerns that the proposed expansion could inaccurately portray discussions about Zionists and Zionism as inherently antisemitic, and could lead to the “harmful conflation of criticism of the acts of the state of Israel with antisemitism.”
“This move will prohibit Palestinians from sharing their daily experiences and histories with the world, be it a photo of the keys to their grandparent’s house lost when attacked by Zionist militias in 1948, or documentation and evidence of genocidal acts in Gaza over the past few months, authorized by the Israeli Cabinet, which includes members of the Religious Zionist Party,” the letter said. “And it would prevent Jewish users from discussing their relationships to Zionist political ideology.”