Claims Conference Statement Re: Facebook Policy Change: Holocaust Denial and Distortion
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In a joint statement from the Claims Conference, President Gideon Taylor and Executive Vice President Greg Schneider said:
Each day for the past 75 days, in the first-ever, survivor-led digital campaign #NoDenyingIt, Holocaust survivors have directly addressed Mark Zuckerberg, telling him that Holocaust denial is antisemitic hate speech. We welcome the announcement today that Facebook has agreed to remove Holocaust denial and distortion from its platform.
You cannot deny the atrocities Holocaust survivors suffered; we applaud these first steps. Holocaust survivors bravely came forward to ensure that their voices were heard. We now urge Facebook to take immediate action to implement its new policy.
The Claims Conference is pleased that Facebook took note of our recent survey and decided to remove Holocaust denial and distortion from its platform. As Facebook itself recognizes, our survey revealed the disturbing fact that nearly one-quarter (23%) of U.S. Millennials and Gen Z believe the Holocaust is a myth and did not happen. Our survey also found that nearly one-half (49%) of this population (U.S. adults between 18 – 39) have seen Holocaust denial and distortion on social media. With Facebook’s enormous ability to influence public understanding of the Holocaust, we are glad to see that Facebook is taking these first steps to respond to this troubling trend.
Holocaust denial is not ignorance; it is intentional, antisemitic and hateful. The Claims Conference will continue to publicly pressure social media platforms to remove this hatred until every last Holocaust denier is taken down. We will never forget.
