The human rights organization “SOS Mitmensch” had reported to the social network a posting by a politician who used false information to incite people against asylum seekers. But there was no reaction from Facebook. The posting is still online days later. Facebook's inaction would make it easy for political hate preachers, SOS Mitmensch criticizes in a broadcast on its website.

Facebook needs to intervene

“If Facebook doesn’t intervene when it comes to false content, it will roll out the red carpet for hate preachers and agitators. The social network has a clear responsibility for the content distributed on its channel. “We have to intervene when politicians try to incite people with demonstrably untrue claims ,” says Alexander Pollak, spokesman for SOS Mitmensch, criticizing Facebook’s inaction.

Screenshot: SOS fellow human being from September 19, 2022
Screenshot: SOS fellow human being from September 19, 2022

Incitement against asylum seekers with false information

Pollak reports that the Viennese FPÖ chairman Dominik Nepp posted the false claim on Friday that asylum seekers would receive minimum income. That is incorrect, Pollak makes clear. In addition, the posting contains a grossly misleading comparison of minimum security and employment income.

When it comes to income from work, Nepp omitted various state benefits and also the 13th and 14th monthly salary, as well as the fact that entitlements to pension insurance are acquired through income from work , which is not the case with the minimum security. FPÖ politician Nepp used the false information he spread on Facebook to specifically stir up envy and hatred against asylum seekers. There are numerous anger and hate comments under Nepp's posting. It is Facebook's responsibility to intervene quickly and decisively , emphasizes Pollak.

Politics must put pressure on Facebook

SOS Mitmensch calls on both Facebook and politicians to take immediate action. According to the human rights organization, Facebook should not sit back while tens of thousands of people are flooded with inflammatory false information. Politicians must put pressure on the company to finally take decisive action against lying propaganda.

Quick deletion and correction necessary

The minimum requirement is that lying postings are deleted immediately and all people who were confronted with the false information receive a notification from Facebook in which the untrue content of the posting is pointed out and a factual correction is made. Notorious political hate preachers should be placed under constant surveillance, demands SOS Mitmensch spokesman Pollak.

Update: After the inflammatory posting was online for three days and shared more than 500 times, Nepp, apparently in response to today's press release from SOS Mitmensch, replaced the word "asylum seeker" with the word "asylum seeker" and left everything else unchanged. Facebook remains silent.

Source:

SOS fellow human being

Also read our fact check on: Baerbock in Ukraine: Media-effective dummy car for mine clearance project?


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