Facebook has confirmed the suspension of a user who appealed it after being blocked for thirty days for reporting statements by Louis Farrakhan.
Facebook user Damon Rosen told Arutz Sheva he received a 30-day "Community Standards" suspension for posting the message: "Louis Farrakhan said he asked G-d to hit Florida extra hard with coronavirus ... to punish all the Jews & Cubans who hated Fidel Castro."
Facebook blocked Rosen from posting with a notice saying: "You can't post, comment or use Messenger for 30 days.
"This is because you previously posted something that didn't follow our Community Standards.
"This post goes against our standards on hate speech, so no one else can see it."
Speaking to Israel News Talk Radio, Rosen said: "I was watching Minister Louis Farrakhan speak, Saturday, 4th of July, when he said that he asked G-d to make Florida the epicenter of the coronavirus, and his reasoning was because all of the people from the Jewish community of Cuba who fled to Florida - their hatred for Fidel Castro is why, and that it's ruined the relationship between the United States and Cuba.
"I posted that practically verbatim. A few days later, I got a message from Facebook saying that the post violated their community standards and they gave me a 30-day ban.
"Now, this is amazing. I'm a Jewish guy from America living in Israel pointing out blatant anti-Semitism and I'm the one who ends up with a 30-day ban."
After appealing the ban Rosen received an answer: "We reviewed your post again and it doesn't follow our Community Standards."
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Israel-based Shurat Hadin civil rights organization has in the past launched major lawsuits against Facebook for inciting terror. Responding to the suspension, she told Arutz Sheva: "Facebook’s actions censoring those who oppose arch anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan are disturbing but hardly surprising at this point.
"Facebook’s absurd and biased positions have been in place for a long while. It is hoped that the Attorney General and U.S. Senate which is reviewing the dangers of unregulated social media and the enormous unchecked power they possess will hopefully begin the process of reining the platforms in and putting safeguards in place.
"For too long Jews have been the victims of these online policies and forums for hate speech and the Jewish community needs to lead the battle against social media."
