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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/38058/full/38058/holocaust-denial-has-no-place-on-facebook/ <br /><br /> <b>Holocaust denial has no place on Facebook</b> <br /> Thursday, May 14, 2009 | by <br /><br /><p>Few rights touch the American or Jewish heart like the right to free speech. We cherish that right, and we would defend it to the end of our strength. But let us be clear: Denying the Holocaust is not the practice of free speech. It is impermissible hate speech. Period.</p> <p>Given that, we are dismayed that Palo Alto-based Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking Web site, would not come down hammer hard on Holocaust deniers that lurk about the site.</p> <p>As noted in our story this week, the Anti-Defamation League has blasted Facebook for scrubbing a few, but not all, Holocaust denial groups from the site. Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt said his company is monitoring these groups, but added “We want Facebook to be a place where ideas, even controversial ideas, can be discussed.”</p> <p>Since when is Holocaust denial an “idea?”</p> <p>Adding insult to injury, Facebook did eliminate access to the offending groups in countries such as Israel and Germany, but only because Holocaust denial is a crime in those places. Elsewhere, this  filth is available for all to see.</p> <p>On one hand, we understand the predicament Facebook finds itself in. To tout itself as inclusive, and to further add to its 200 million users worldwide, the company does not want to get into the business of censoring clubs, groups or fan pages.</p> <p>To counter that, we return to our opening contention. Holocaust denial is not free speech. It violates not only every ethical and legal norm society values, it even violates Facebook’s own terms of service. Those state clearly that Facebook will not post content deemed unlawful, defamatory, fraudulent, hateful or ethnically objectionable.</p> <p>We can’t think of a better description of Holocaust denial.</p> <p>Facebook is an extraordinarily powerful new communication tool. Even j. has a Facebook page (and we encourage readers to check it out). But the company’s executive team needs to understand there is no down side to eliminating hate from its site. Nobody but the haters themselves would raise a stink.</p> <p>In fact, we believe an overwhelming majority of users would cheer Facebook should it take a more forceful stand against hate.</p> <p>Facebook must do the right thing and wipe away all traces of Holocaust denial. In a world where anti-Semitism appears to be once again on the increase, this would be a positive, perhaps even life-saving, step.</p> <p>We urge j. readers who use Facebook to contact the site’s corporate headquarters and let the company know there’s no place for hate on Facebook.</p>

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