July 9, 2024 — New York, NY
In a significant move against online hate, Meta announced that starting today, it will remove content targeting “Zionists” when the term is used to refer to Jews and Israelis with dehumanizing comparisons, calls for harm, or denials of existence.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) has worked and consulted with Meta on issues relating to antisemitism for several years and was proud to continue this partnership by participating in Meta’s Policy Forum. As part of these discussions, AJC shared how the word “Zionist” is often used as coded language to attack Jews and Israelis and about the offline harm this proxy language has on Jewish life around the world.
The vast majority of the global Jewish community identifies as Zionists, believing that Israel has a right to exist. AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that 80% of American Jews say that caring about Israel is an important part of what being Jewish means to them, and most Jews around the world are historically, culturally, or religiously tied to Israel. Calls for harming “Zionists” or comparing “Zionists” to pigs – actions which were allowed on Meta’s platforms before today’s policy change – are direct attacks on Jews and Israelis, whom Meta has a responsibility, as with all users, to protect. This decision is not meant to suppress criticism of Israeli government action which Meta's users, including Israelis, can freely do as with any government; rather it is a crucial step to safeguard Jews and Israelis from the increasingly malicious use of the word "Zionist" to attack their identities and threaten their safety and security.
We thank Meta for listening to the concerns raised by the Jewish community, including AJC, in making this policy change, and we remain eager to help ensure the policy is enforced at scale.
The majority of Jews around the world report experiencing online antisemitism online. In the U.S., 62% of American Jews reported seeing or hearing antisemitism online or on social media in the last year, including 51% on Facebook and 27% on Instagram. Given the exponential impact of antisemitism online and in public, we urge other platforms to follow Meta’s leadership and take similar actions.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
###
