Meta's Oversight Board: Posting 'From The River To The Sea' Slogan Is Fine
So long as you follow Meta's rules, you're good.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 06 Sep 2024, 04:47 PM
Posting the pro-Palestinian slogan "From the River to the Sea" does not violate Meta's content policies
On 5 September, Meta’s Oversight Board ruled that the slogan, commonly used to express support for Palestinians, does not violate the platform's rules.
Meta’s Oversight Board is considered the top authority when it comes to the tech giant's content moderation decisions. The board recently reviewed three cases involving Facebook posts that contained the slogan.
For pro-Zionists, the phrase has been accused of being anti-Semitic in nature. Meta’s Oversight Board, however, confirmed that it's not.
The slogan does not break Meta's rules on hate speech, violence and incitement, or dangerous organisations and individuals
In other words, posts that follow Meta's rules but contain the slogan shouldn't be removed.
"In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions," the board said.
"Specifically, the three pieces of content contain contextual signs of solidarity with Palestinians — but no language calling for violence or exclusion," it explained further.
The phrase "From the River to the Sea" denotes the region stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, covering Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza
The slogan is often used to show solidarity with Palestinians. It's also used to support Palestinians' rights and self-determination or to suggest a one-state solution where Jews and Palestinians live as citizens of the same country.
Pro-Zionists, however, claim that the slogan calls for the extermination of Israel as a Jewish-majority country.
The board stated that some members believed, after Hamas's 7 October attacks, that using the phrase in a post should be assumed to praise the group and violence unless it's clearly shown otherwise.
