As a journalist, I have experienced political censorship by Facebook. I’ve had photographs and reports removed from Facebook and I have been banned for various periods of time for posting reports on the Kurdish freedom struggle.
So, I was keen to accompany three activists from Jews Against the Occupation on a visit to Facebook’s office on February 24 to present a petition calling on the social media giant not to censor criticism of Zionism, on the grounds of alleged anti-Semitism.
Notable figures such as Hanan Ashrawi, Norita Cortiñas, Wallace Shawn, Ali Shawkat and Peter Gabriel have signed the petition, which has garnered more than 50,000 signatures in a month.
The petition notes that if Facebook restricts the usage of the word "Zionist", it would prevent Palestinians from talking about their daily lives. It would also shield the Israeli government from accountability for human right's violations, while doing nothing to make Jewish people safer from antisemitism.
The campaign is named "Facebook We Have To Talk" but Facebook was not, as activists discovered as they attempted to deliver the petition in 18 countries around the world.