John,
In recent weeks, Israeli forces repeatedly stormed one of the holiest sites for Muslims during the sacred month of Ramadan—simply because the people inside were Palestinian.
During these raids on Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, Israeli police attacked worshippers, journalists, and paramedics with rubber bullets, stun grenades, tear gas, and beatings, injuring hundreds of Palestinians.
It is cruel to attack a people in their sacred place of worship, where we all deserve refuge. I have personally prayed at the Al-Aqsa mosque with my sity, my grandmother.
After posting on Instagram about these violent invasions, people have faced censorship, including Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid. She reported that Instagram blocked her from being able to post stories, blocked her from accessing messages, and “shadow banned” her posts (restricting viewers).
Instagram has deleted accounts, removed posts, interrupted livestreams, hid hashtags, and otherwise silenced thousands of Palestinians and allies when they try to speak up for Palestinian human rights.
Please sign the petition to Instagram now: Stop silencing Palestinian voices. Stop censoring posts!
Sign now »
Social media is one of the main ways that people on the ground can share their experiences of the Israeli government’s violent occupation, so it’s crucial to keep this communication channel open.
Last year, I sent a letter to multiple social media platforms’ parent companies demanding they immediately end their censorship of Palestinian political speech.
But the censorship has continued. Facebook, which owns Instagram, has a member on its Oversight Board who used to censor Palestinians’ posts while working for the Israeli government.
Elected officials in the U.S. and Israeli government, as well as unregulated tech companies, find free speech threatening since it’s a central part of movements for change and liberation. Instagram should allow us to hold governments accountable—not shield governments from accountability.
We need as many people drawing attention to this as possible. We must call out this dangerous precedent and join together in the struggle for human rights for all people.
Please sign the petition to Instagram now: Stop silencing Palestinian voices. Stop censoring posts!
Thank you for being by my side as we fight for human rights at home and abroad.
In solidarity,
Rashida Tlaib via LeftNet
