#FacebookCensorsPalestine – Palestinians call for 2-hour Facebook boycott on 9 January

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is joining the two-hour Facebook boycott protest called by the Palestinian Content Protection Initiative on Saturday, 9 January 2021. Palestinian organizations and supporters of Palestine are campaigning to highlight the ongoing deletion and censoring of Palestinian organizations’ Facebook pages. Most recently, the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine was blocked by the tech giant, part of an ongoing attack by Silicon Valley companies on Palestinian and anti-imperialist expression. Please join us by not posting on Facebook between 5 pm and 7 pm Palestine time (3 pm to 5 pm UTC) on Saturday, 9 January:. The following article is reposted from VPalestine: 

The Palestinian Content Protection Initiative has called on the Palestinian media outlets and activists to observe a two-hour pause next Saturday by not posting on their Facebook pages and accounts from 5 pm to 7 pm, in protest of the social media’s crackdown on the Palestinian content.

The Initiative said in a statement issued by the Palestinian non-governmental organization, Sada Social, that the Saturday campaign includes a halt on publishing from 5 pm to 7 pm, in addition to a focused media coverage and campaign to explain the reasons and justifications for this pause.

“The administrations of social media websites have been pursuing, targeting, and restricting the publishing and access of Palestinian pages and accounts, and in full coordination with the Israeli occupation government,” said the Initiative. “As a result, Palestinian media have been restricted, and were unable to convey their national message.”

The Initiative pointed out that “the Facebook campaign has even expanded further to removing and blocking pages and restricting the access to the publications of media pages and news networks. Specialized centers have monitored a 50 percent drop in access.”

“Because we are strong and have a right message, and because we defend a just cause against a brutal occupation, it is our duty to stand united to defend our message, and to communicate our voice in an effective and strong way to the administrations of these platforms,” the Initiative remarked.

The Palestinian Content Protection Initiative is a newly established gathering of Palestinian media outlets, initiatives, and activists working together to protect the Palestinian content.