Letter to Mark Zuckerberg
The founder of Facebook declared he wouldn't have deleted postings that deny the Holocaust
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
we are a Jewish-German non-profit organization acting as a civil Jewish voice in German federal politics and society. Having read about your code of conduct in regard to postings that deny the Holocaust, it is important for us to emphasize three aspects:
1.
We understand that the situation is very different in each part of the world. In Germany the situation is absolutely clear: each and every person who denies the Holocaust knows what he or she is doing. Kids learn that at school. Everyone who denies the German massmurder of our ancestors has a specific political intention to do so. Such statements are not covered by the freedom of speech, because they are forbidden by law. So you offering your platform for such use is legally highly problematic.
2.
What you say counts. You are a celebrity and highly respected by many people. You showing a sensitivity towards Holocaust-denial on the one hand and nevertheless deciding to value the “right to get things wrong” higher on the other hand, sends a fatal message to those who like, believe and even worse, who share and multiply such fake facts.
Do you want Facebook to be part of sharing fake facts, intentionally or not? Sharing fake facts concerning Holocaust denial also fosters and encourages people who intentionally spread such statements, and who could easily excuse themselves afterwards with “I got it wrong” – but still the fake facts are out there to be multiplied. You also reach a lot of young people. We believe, the decision of taking Holocaust denial postings off the Facebook platform is definitely a matter of (moral) responsibility, and you should stand to this responsibility.
3.
German and European Jews face an increasing amount of antisemitism which gets more and more violent. This makes us especially alert to any political, social and cultural development which can promote such negative tendencies.
We would be happy to discuss this matter in depth with you or one of your representatives.
To be transparent: we publicise this e-mail and will also do so with your answer (any individual contact-details will be deleted)
Best regards,
Dr. Elio Adler
Vorsitzender der WerteInitiative – jüdisch-deutsche Positionen
Chairman of ValuesInitiative – Jewish-German positions
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WerteInitiative. e.V. jüdisch-deutsche Positionen
elio.adler@werteinitiative.de
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