Case Description
The Oversight Board will address the two cases below together, choosing either to uphold or overturn Meta’s decisions on a case-by-case basis.
In the first case, an administrator of a Facebook page, which describes itself as the official page of Poland’s far-right coalition party, Confederation (Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległość), posted a meme in May 2024. The image shows the country’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk looking into a door viewer (or peephole), with a black man walking up behind him. Polish text over the image says: “Good evening, did you vote for Platform? I've brought the black people from the immigration pact.” This is likely a reference to the European Union (EU)’s 2024 Pact on Migration and Asylum. Platform refers to Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform coalition, which came into power in December 2023 and is more closely aligned with the EU than the country’s previous government.
“Murzynów,” the Polish word used to describe black people in the text, is considered offensive by some and subject to debate in Poland. The post’s lengthy caption states that the Tusk government agreed to the Pact, which it describes as “blackmail.” It also states that people who voted for Platform should feel “cheated” and encourages them to vote for Confederation in the European elections, which were held in June 2024, to stop immigrants being allowed into Poland and the EU.
The post has been viewed over 150,000 times, shared over 400 times and has more than 250 comments. It was reported 15 times by users for hate speech but was left on Facebook following a human review by Meta.
In the second case, a different user posted an image in June 2024 on a German Facebook page that describes itself as being against left-leaning and green groups. The picture appears to be AI generated and shows a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman holding up her hand in a stop gesture, with both a stop sign and German flag in the background. German text over the image says that people should no longer come to Germany as they don’t need any more “gang rape specialists,” due to the Green party’s recent immigration policy. This is followed by a link to an article on the German Parliament’s website, titled “Non-German suspects in gang rapes.” The post has been viewed over 8,000 times and shared over 100 times. Only one user reported the content, with Meta deciding to leave up the image after human review.
After the Board selected this content, Meta’s policy subject matter experts reviewed both posts again. The company confirmed its original decisions to keep both pieces of content on Facebook were correct.
In their statement to the Board, the user who reported the Polish content pointed out the term “murzyn” is now widely considered to be offensive and derogatory in Poland, as well as more broadly, and that its use perpetuates racial stereotypes and discrimination. The user who reported the German content said they believe the content claims all refugees are criminals and rapists.
The Board selected these cases to address the significant number of appeals, especially from Europe, against content that shares views on immigration in ways that may be harmful towards immigrants. These cases also allow the Board to assess whether Meta’s decision to only protect refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the most severe attacks under its Hate Speech policy is adequate considering the company’s human rights responsibilities, which include protecting both vulnerable groups and political speech. These cases fall within the Board’s Hate Speech Against Marginalized Groups strategic priority.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- Whether “murzyn” should be considered a slur term for the purposes of Meta’s Hate Speech policy.
- The socio-political context in Poland, Germany and Europe more broadly, in particular attitudes to immigration and how it is discussed politically.
- Any documented links between anti-immigrant speech and violence or discrimination in Poland, Germany and Europe more broadly.
- How Meta’s Hate Speech policy treats migrant status and whether it adequately protects both the rights of migrants and freedom of expression.
- Views on how Meta should distinguish commentary and criticism of immigration policies from direct attacks on people based on protected characteristics, such as race, especially during elections.
In its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to these cases.
Comments
The term 'Murzyn' is a derogatory and prejudiced term, and the use of such terminology, especially as it is weaponised by a political party, should be penalised and banned. It is a form of hate speech and spreads at best outdated misconceptions and threatens the livelihood of non-white people living in Poland at worst. The humourous context of the meme only masks the danger behind such a message - which further dehumanises and otherizes those who immigrate to Poland, who already live there, or who were born there. The feed of political party Confederation is full of misguided political propaganda endangering the wellbeing and safety of those already severely marginalized and discriminated against. It adds fuel to already burning fire of hate, xenophobia, and fear of the Other. Therefore, 'Murzyn' is a slur and should be regarded as hate speech in any further regulations.
Słowo "Murzyn" jest na pewno czasem używane obraźliwie, ale w moim subiektywnym i na pewno ograniczonym doświadczeniu często jest też używane jako określenie osoby czarnoskórej, nie koniecznie z chęcią obrażenia. Nie jestem przekonana, że zawsze to słowo występuje jako obelga (ang. "slur"). Szczególnie starsze pokolenia, oraz osoby nie zaznajomione ze zmieniającą się wrażliwością społeczną mogą nie wiedzieć, że to słowo ma tak negatywne nacechowanie dla niektórych i jest powszechnie uznawane za niewłaściwe. Choć sama zwracam uwagę osobom, które go używają, wydaje mi się to niezasadne, żeby go zabraniać, ponieważ wachlarz słów, które są zabraniane powinien być raczej minimalny.
Nie znam szczegółów tej polityki, ale w moim odczuciu to słowo o podobnym nacechowaniu jak "suka", "szmata" czy inne pogardliwe określenia na kobiety lub powszechnie używane słowo "pedał" czasem używane do określania osób homoseksualnych. Życzyłabym sobie, żeby ludzie ich nie używali, ale zakazywanie ich wydaje się przesadne.
Moim zdaniem słowo "murzyn" powinno być uznane za obraźliwe. W języku polskim jest wiele przysłów sugerujących pejoratywne konotacje np. "sto lat za murzynami" lub "jesteś moim murzynem" w znaczeniu niewolnikiem. Określenie nie jest nawiązaniem do żadnej grupy etnicznej i nie ma argumentu by je stosować.
The two cases are clearly anti-immigrant and racist hate speech and should be considered as such. I will comment on three issues raised in the case description in particular:
1. The socio-political context in Poland, Germany and Europe more broadly, in particular attitudes to immigration and how it is discussed politically.
The two cases of anti-immigrant hate speech fall within a period of heightened politicization of immigration and increasing societal polarization over the issue in both Germany and Poland. In both countries, political parties (mostly but not exclusively) on the right of the political spectrum strongly mobilize against immigration and immigrants whom they frame as a threat to the nation, culture and tradition, women and children. In Germany, the vocal far-right opposition party Alternative for Germany has pushed the concept of 'remigration' at the beginning of 2024, demanding the return of (former) immigrants to their home countries, including those holding a German passport. The claim contradicts the values of the German constitution. But also parties in the center and even on the left pursue an anti-immigration agenda. In 2023, chancellor Olaf Scholz gave a much-mediatized interview to the quality medium Spiegel, demanding that "we need to deport much more". In 2024, the German left-wing government reintroduced border controls that violate the Schengen rules.
In Poland, the former ruling party Law and Justice pushed an anti-immigration agenda during its terms (2015-2023). It stood for the fortification of the eastern border with Belarus (which also functions as a EU external border) as well as for violent illegal pushbacks of immigrants trying to cross the border (oftentimes mobilized by Belarus and Russia to put pressure on the EU). Also the new Polish government under the right-wing conservative Platform takes an illiberal course on migration, with prime minister Donald Tusk recently having announced Poland's rejection of the EU asylum pact.
In sum, in both countries elite actors vilify immigration and immigrants, providing a fertile ground for anti-immigrant hate speech in public such as in demonstrations but also, and importantly, online.
2. Any documented links between anti-immigrant speech and violence or discrimination in Poland, Germany and Europe more broadly.
Yes, there is a strong link between anti-immigrant hate speech and physical violence against immigrants. In Germany, violence against asylum seekers (individuals and homes) has increased in parallel to the increasing strength and public visibility of AfD over the past years. Overall, violence against immigrants is committed by far-rightists for ideological reasons. In 2024, cases of right-wing violence against immigrants are most frequent in the regions of the country where AfD is strongest and anti-immigrant attitudes are most frequent (i.e., eastern Germany, mostly Saxony and Thuringia).
3. Whether “murzyn” should be considered a slur term for the purposes of Meta’s Hate Speech policy.
Yes, "murzyn" should be considered a slur term. Despite Poland's different history, e.g. not having been a colonial force, today, the term murzyn has similar connotations in Polish as the 'n-word' has in German or English. As people of color perceive it as discriminatory, it should not be used anymore. While contested for some time already, claims to ban it from public speech have strengthened during the 2020 BLM protests around the world: After the murder of George Floyd, the hashatg #DontCallMeMurzyn went viral in Poland, underscoring PoC's demands for a more sensitive, non-racist language.
As a Polish citizen I can comment on the first case.
The word 'murzyn' should not be considered a slur in Poland. It has been anchored in Polish language and culture as a person of black color. Simple as that. I admit that this word can be framed in a slur context but it doesn't shift the word's meaning towards derogatory terms. I question the 'wide consideration of the word as offensive'. I checked google trends for the last year across Poland. People search for 'murzynek' - a traditional cake recipe, check if 'murzyn' plays on national football team, check jokes (just like the check jokes about Jews). Nothing hateful about the word.
Secondly, uncontrolled immigration is a significant problem in Poland and Germany. It rightfully deserves a debate. Poland is subject to a hybrid operation on the border with Belarus where immigration has been weaponized. Subsequently, Germany resumed border controls as if there was no Shengen anymore. There are claims that Facebook ads are used in Middle East, Africa to lure people to come to Belarus or Russia, whereas in fact they are sent at the border with Poland, Baltics, Finland. Worth checking. I'd say immigration is well perceived in Poland. Besides Ukrainians there are plenty people who come from Asia or North America and work here, plenty people across the globe came to study and like it here. Illegal migration is causing unrest. Scenes from Western EU countries, deteriorated security and social disturbance are valid reasons against illegal migration.
Examples. The particular use case I can call disinformation, not hate speech. There's plenty of evidence how Confederation party uses disinformation to fragment Polish society. This is detrimental. I wish Facebook enabled community notes or fact checking below certain posts. I can list a hate speech campaign example as well, although it affects Ukrainians. The tactics are similar, certain actors inject content into Polish social media which is then amplified by Confederation. Here is the translated version.
https://cyberdefence24-pl.translate.goog/social-media/skad-wziela-sie-akcja-stopukrainizacjipolski-na-twitterze?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_hist=true
Meta's hate speech policy - look, protection can't come down to keywords. Block some - there will be new ones. We live in a world where most obscene, vulgar lyrics become top hits on streaming platforms, yet we're debating a word that has never, until now, been identified as offensive. Meta should focus on behaviors, whatever vocabulary they incorporate. We're facing tremendous amount of hate speech towards children, rise of pathologic streamers. I can provide examples of that as well.
Lastly, on the tactical level, how to distinguish. The way I approach it in my research. There is something trending. First I check if something happened for real or if this is a narrative that is just being pushed. In the first case, imagine a black or ukrainian migrant crashed a car into people. This is a fact but it also ignites tremendous hate speech in comments. This is a temporary spike.
Second case is much more severe, the point of a narrative is to form an opinion, it can be a hateful one as well. Rage over an accident will fade but opinions stay. Opinions these days a so often bent with disinformation and hald-truths. The case from Poland is a lie, PM Tusk is also against illegal migration. Yet, Confederation wants to reinforce a false stereoptype. This is what Meta should be sensitive to - narratives based on disinformation that tear society apart.
Thank you for reading.
The use of the word “murzyn” is generally perceived as offensive in Poland. The Polish Language Council has issued an official opinion emphasizing that; in Polish language dictionaries, it is also described as a pejorative phrase. Moreover, when used on social media, it is almost always used in a harmful manner, in content that could be classified as either disinformation/misinformation or hate speech. The phrase perpetuates racial stereotypes and discrimination. With the rising anti-immigration sentiments, word “murzyn” is often used in posts published by far-right, extremist or conspiracy accounts, alongside openly racist statements, for example arguing that all Black people are rapists or that persons of color are inferior to Europeans/White Americans. It is thus clear that the term “murzyn” is now widely considered to be offensive and derogatory in Poland and that its use enforces racist stereotypes and discrimination
Słowo „murzyn” w przywołanym kontekście jest jednoznacznie rasistowskie. Przy zrozumieniu polskiego kontekstu debaty o migracji wykorzystanie w opisie czy memie określenie „murzyn” ma na celu wywołanie pogardliwego stosunku do całej rasy, wywołanie negatywnych skojarzeń i po prostu obrażenie innej grupy różniącej się ze względu na rasę. Tylko w niektórych wypadkach w języku polskich dopuszcza się użycia tego określenia jako niepogardliwe i nierasistowskie (np. teksty piosenki stworzone w 20-30 lat temu przed powszechną dyskusją nad rasizmem w Polsce czy nazwy własne potraw) - chociaż należy wspomnieć że publicznie dyskutuje się o takich przypadkach i wiele osób uznaje nawet takie sytuacje za niedopuszczalne. Słowo „murzyn” w źródłach internetowych, żartach ma wyraźne konotacje rasistowskie i również tak oceniam to użycie. Jest to wg mnie przykład użycia mowy nienawiści.
The word murzyn in Poland is widely perceived as a pejorative phrase, often used in hate speech and incitements to violence. In my analitical work, I analyse the accounts sharing energy disinformation. They however tackle other issues as well, and thus I often observe the above mentioned issues. Hate speech targeting the migrants is leading to real acts of violence on the Polish streets, especially those of smaller towns and villages in the eastern part of the country.
Dość często spotykam się z rasistowskimi treściami i komentarzami na platformach takich jak Facebook czy Instagram. Przede wszystkim ze słowami: „Murzyn” „czarnuch” „ciapaty” itp. Nie wierzę, że takie słowa są dalej używane i nic się z nimi nie robi - patrząc na to, jakie inne treści są blokowane przez te platformy.