Case Description
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.
Comments
If people have a problem with the old flag it jys shows who is racist. This is not a symbol of oppression but of what South Africa was made of. I don't see anyone building South Africa up under the new flag, everything is crumbling under corruption and greed.
The apartheid-era flag should not be allowed to be displayed as it caused division and racial hatred. There is no benefit to society or individuals.
I really don't see the reason for banning of the old SA Flag. It is part of history and history should not be erased because you don't like it. Banning the old SA Flag will only alienate more people and you will only encourage more hate between race groups. It is now 30 years since the Democratic elected Government took power and it does not make sense to ban the flag now. Would you also ban the current flag should another party, in future, come into power and decide to change the current flag to a new one? Does that really make sense? Stop fiddling with history and address real issues of concern in the World.
That flag is a symbol of a time and a government that was WRONG. South Africa is embarrassed by that history and have moved on and grown past it. We be reported many Facebook posts displaying that disgusting flag and they were all rejected and the image stayed. Change it now so that offensive symbols of a horrible time in history can be removed.
I do not see how the OLD flag is of ANY problem. People should STOP with this racism excuses. These days that's all that's on their mind. They actually promote racism when there is none. Refrain from using the word as well as thinking it with every single disagreement between white and black. There is not nearly the amount of racism involved as black people make it out to be. They will constantly refer to skin color with even the smallest disagreement between colour. We do not necessarily see nor refer or mean differences between black or white, yet black people ALWAYS bring in colour.. just even with the simplest disagreement they need to always bring in colour. STOP BLACK PEOPLE, and you should notice how it is not such a huge issue you make it out to be. Yet you guys LOVE to always mention is it because I am black? When no one even thought about it. Only you... please start acting like adults and stop acting like babies. Only way we will get through this. Racism will ONLY continue if you continue bringing it up and making something about it when there was nothing before or no reason to involve colour. Then you always make us the culprits when in fact it was the black person involved in the situation who started the racism issue...
The apartheid flag must be banned on Facebook as it promotes racial hatred, and racial segregation.
It's a flag of South Africa Racist Violation of Human Rights Apartheid regime. It must be banned 🚫
The gains of apartheid must be reversed, land must be returned to Africans.
Many people still consider the ANC Flag as a terrorist flag, but we do not cry every time they show/use it!
Get over yourself!
The old South African flag was the official flag of the country from 1928 to 1994. Inevitably it will appear in many historical photos. History cannot be undone, even if one would like to. It does not make sense to ban displays of the historical flags of a country on social media. Banning such displays is an attempt to sweep history under the carpet and is likely to harm reconciliation and social cohesion rather than promote it.
I believe the flag should be allowed to be displayed under the protection of free speech. If the flag is banned, that would be a limitation of the right to free speech.
There is no value in awareness of this flag. It is the South African equivalent of displaying a Swastika as the regime that this flag represented committed numerous crimes against humanity within living memory, and the worst part of it all is that the people that generally display the old flag are in support of apartheid era ideals and organisations that promote racial segregation, and even paramilitary groups that operate in and around South Africa. There also needs to be changes made to disallow the k-word on Facebook, Ive reported it before and Facebook doesn't understand how grievous the use of this racial slur is in South Africa.
Yes it should be banned, it is a symbol of hate which south africa doesn't need. Actually made illegal to bare that symbol of white rule.
Can you ban history?
You can't delete history, it's there.
The old flag is part of History. If you want to ban it, you need to ban everything Historical in SA, ie: ANC Flag, etc!!!!
All other "apartheid" era flags should then also be banned (e.g. ANC flag, AZAPO, etc.)
The apartheid flag carries deep scars for most South Africans . Displaying it in public is regression in progress made towards reconciliation and creates more pain for the victims of apartheid.
Can't wait to report images of the ANC flag in a few years time.
Slippery slope, don't use your emotions to make this decision.