केस विवरण
In May 2024, two Facebook users separately posted images showing the former national flag of South Africa. This flag, which became associated with the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation, was replaced in 1994 by a new national flag. The two Facebook posts were shared in the run-up to South Africa’s General Election on May 29, 2024, during which immigration, inequalities and unemployment were key issues.
The first post shows a soldier carrying the pre-1994 flag. The image, which appears to have been taken during the apartheid years (1948-1994), is accompanied by a caption encouraging others to share the post if they “served under this flag.” The content was viewed more than 500,000 times and shared more than 5,000 times. The post received numerous comments, with many suggesting that South Africa was a safer country during apartheid, while others emphasized the suffering experienced by people during those years. By the time the Board selected this case, three users had reported the content to Meta, for hate speech and violence. Following human review, the content was found to be non-violating and left on Facebook.
The second post contains multiple images of a previous era, including the country’s former flag, a nostalgic picture of a seaside theme park, a packet of candy cigarettes, a toy gun and a black man on a bicycle ice cream cart, with white children next to him. The caption expresses fondness for the previous era and asks the audience to “read between the lines,” followed by a winking face and an “OK” hand emoji. While in most instances, the OK hand emoji is used by people to show approval or agree that something is okay, this symbol has been adopted by some as an expression of white supremacy. The post was viewed more than 2 million times and shared over a thousand times. Many users commented on the post, positively describing life during apartheid, including on law and order. Other comments noted that it was not a good time for all. Within a week of posting, 184 users reported the content, mostly for hate speech. Some of the reports were reviewed by human reviewers, who determined that the content did not violate the Community Standards. The remaining reports were processed through a combination of automated systems and prior human review decisions. The content was kept up on the platform.
When the Board selected this content, Meta’s policy subject matter experts reviewed both posts again and the company confirmed that its original decisions to keep both pieces of content up on Facebook were correct.
In their statement to the Board, the user who reported the first post stated that South Africa’s former flag is comparable to the German Nazi flag and that “brazenly displaying” it “incites violence” because the country is still reeling from the impact of “this crime against humanity [apartheid].” The user also stated that sharing such images during an election period can encourage racial hatred and endanger lives. Similarly, the user who reported the second post explained that the “context of the post suggests” apartheid was a “better time” for South Africans and that such use of the flag is illegal. The user also emphasized how the former flag represents oppression.
The Board selected these cases to address the issue of glorifying or praising hateful or racial supremacist ideologies, including through the use of symbols, especially in the lead-up to an election. Such content can have public interest value, e.g., to raise awareness about or condemn an issue, but it may also be used to glorify or incite racial discrimination or violence. These cases, which provide an opportunity to evaluate Meta’s current approach on this issue, fall within the Board’s strategic priorities of Elections and Civic Space and Hate Speech.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- The sociopolitical context in South Africa, in particular the nature of public and political discourse around apartheid and racial inequality, including in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, the impact of displaying the apartheid flag since 1994, and the role of supremacist and apartheid-sympathetic groups in social and political life.
- The coded use of online symbols, such as the ‘OK’ hand emoji and other symbols adopted by white supremacist groups on social media in South Africa and/or globally.
- Approaches to moderating visual content involving potential implicit attacks against groups with protected characteristics, particularly in contexts where there is a history of racial segregation.
- Risks of over-enforcement of removing hate symbols at scale, as well as analysis of least intrusive means among digital tools (beyond removals and geoblocking) that are available in content moderation to address hate symbols.
As part of 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.
टिप्पणियाँ
There is no reason to ban the old South African flag - this is freedom of speach
This is ridiculous considering that Facebook allows hate speech, racism and abuse to be posted but always says it "doesn't go against their community standards" when reported.....despite it being current happenings. If you ban history like this then newer generations will never understand where and how far we've come, things like this are references ......lest we forget.
The flag represents historical value of the country and is not necessarily a representation of Apartheid itself. The significance of the flag also represents the origins of South Africa and the original provinces. We cannot delete history because of some event in the past and never talk about it in any case.
Should we now ban the German flag due to what was done to the Jews in the Second World war? No, there is no direct connotation between the flag and unacceptable historical events.
It is bull shit baning the old South African flag. It is still part of our history, and always will be. It is not a flag of hat but of hope.
Way is this flag so repulsive to you. Many have died protecting this flag.
I served Under this flag. The current SA flag is oppressing, demeaning and broken. Los ons oranja blanja blou uit.
The flag is history not a spoken HATE word. Only Illiterate people do not know the meaning of HATE SPEESH and must stay out in the dark.
Ban it, I equal that flag to the swastika as it represents white supremacy and nationalism
As long as 'kill the boer' is not regarded as hatespeach it is impossible to believe that the display of any historical flag can be banned
Reflections on Growing Up During Apartheid
As a person of color, my upbringing during the apartheid era exposed me to the stark and painful realities of inequality. Despite my education and capabilities, I was devalued and marginalized.
The Inappropriateness of the Apartheid Flag
I firmly oppose the display of the apartheid-era flag on platforms like Facebook. While it's important to acknowledge our history, we must also focus on its lessons to build a better future. Why should we perpetuate reminders that evoke pain and hatred?
A Vision for a Unified Future
If we aspire to live in a liberated nation where democracy thrives, we must all contribute to its growth. Embracing our past is essential, but it should serve as a catalyst for creativity and progress rather than a source of division. Together, we can harness our collective power to forge a brighter tomorrow.
Historical Awareness
- Displaying the flag can serve as a reminder of a painful past, helping to educate users about apartheid and the injustices that occurred. This could foster discussions about human rights, racism, and historical context.
Freedom of Expression
- Allowing the flag’s display supports principles of free speech. It acknowledges that individuals may want to express their opinions or critique the apartheid system and its legacy.
Public Debate
- The presence of contentious symbols can stimulate important public discussions about race and history. It may enable users to confront and reflect on the past, potentially leading to a deeper understanding of contemporary racial issues.
Cultural Significance
- For some communities or individuals, the apartheid-era flag may carry cultural or personal significance that is non-racial or non-hateful in nature.
It’s simple, the flag is part of our flag history. You don’t make things better by denying the past, but learning from it. It shouldn’t be banned, but should serve as a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go. Good things also happened in the past, and bad things are happening today. Suppression doesn’t fix anything, it is just ignorance.
History happens. You might not like it, but you cannot ignore, delete, or reject it due to personal or ideological ideas and feelings. Look at it, read it, and learn from it. To ban it, you will only cause the future to make the same mistakes, deny the future the value of history, and hurt your relations with others.
The old South African flag is a part of our history, but some perceive it as a symbol of racism because of the painful experiences their ancestors went through. Today, some feel that racism in South Africa has reversed, with white people facing challenges such as violence, difficulties in finding employment due to their race, and a country that faces numerous struggles. Should this mean that we should question the presence of the current flag, as it may be seen by some as representing bias against minorities? The old flag is part of our history and reflects the journey of South Africa’s development. It’s important not to label everything related to white people or the old flag as racism—this is part of our history and should be viewed in that context.
It is vital that we learn from our mistakes bit honestly what is currently happening at schools is a lot of reverse racism even in the employment sector. So no the old flag flying around online or even on someone's lawn doesn't cause the threat, the threats are caused by careless people who teach other people the wrong way to be hurtful and harm other people. I am supposedly what they call a "so called colored" which would make my kids just as " so called colored" and we fit into the disadvantaged community bracket along with black people. Yet because my kids have my father's blond hair and light skins they're bullied by darker skinned kids including some "so called colored" children. I spent the best part of yesterday explaining racism to my 7 year old and he still turned around and said yes but I don't think darker people are good because of the kids at school.
And in the workplace we are being put to pasture no matter how badly the companies need us or we don't get hired there are people who are willing to admit to this instruction given to them not to hire others besides black or indian in fact, this country has blatantly become uninhabitable so to say for fairer skinned people. So I want parents and people in general to understand there is no place in this world for your prejudice and hatred no matter who you are and it all begins at home.
I think it should be allowed! It is freedom of speech and why take away from the country’s history and the people born in that era?
Although the flag is part of a dark history, the flag itself does not represent apartheid. It was simply a flag used during that period. It is a part of our history just as much as anything and should not be forgotten. There is a famous saying, those who forget the past, are bound to repeat it
Honestly at this point in time i believe that we have caught up as a country about our past. But that does not mean it should be flaunted that is just putting salt on a wound. Traumas, emotions will always be high. The past should just be that a reminded but not a continuos present tense as if somehow somewhere its being secretly conjured. Meta should ban it as a media. We will see it in our Archives where it belongs.
We have the right to freedom of expression. Banning a picture of a flag is a direct contravention of that freedom.
The old South African flag is a part of history and should not be banned. We cannot erase history. The flag had and still hold a significant hisoty on how South Afica has been shaped. Apartheid does not feature in the spty and history of the flag itself.
An entire generation's history cannot be erased just because it does not suit a certain segment if the population. History is imbedded into the culture of generations. If the old South African flag is banned from being displayed publically or on platforms, because it represents a struggle to some people who had to live through the Apartheid era, which represented a mere 40 years of rule in the country, then the Brittish flag should be equally banned. It represents centuries of colonisation and dogmatic rule during which time millions if people, not only in South Africa, but also in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, India and many countries had to suffer annihilation of their own culture and customs in favor of Brittish ones. How do you just erase a whole generation's struggles by banning a piece if cloth that has symbolism and meaning to minorities within the generation, both good and bad? Leave alone historical emblems that have cultural connections, we are here to learn from and celebrate history always, because it commends not only those who have struggled for freedom from oppression, but also those who suffered under freedom from oppression.
The old Union of South Africa and Republic of South Africa national flag is an historical item and must be regarded as that. Every country has such an item. To regard it as a political symbol is wrong as it is a national symbol and not a political party symbol. It has been replaced as a national symbol which has been accepted by all citizens. Those who see the flag as a political symbol have been indoctrinated by those radicals who do not have the mental intellect to understand the message of a national symbol and prefer an interpretation of their choice which was never the intention of such a symbol. The old flag cannot be justified as a hate symbol.
The African National Congress (ANC) has members that have called for the killing of white people. Therefore, the ANC flag and symbols must be banned as hate symbols if the banning logic is implemented. Similarly, Palestinians have called for the killing of all Jews and therefore, the Palestinian flag must be banned as a symbol of hate.
Most of my childhood was in the apartheids years. We were never raised to discriminate. The old flag is part of my childhood. It does not promote racial hatred. Those who use it as an excuse need to get help. We are each responsible for our own actions.