Instagram has been removing posts about the settler violence against Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah! Palestinian activists have had their posts removed without notice, had their posts flagged for “hate speech,” and their accounts threatened to be disabled. This is unacceptable. Add your name and tell Instagram to stop censoring Palestinians!
We, the undersigned, are calling on Instagram to stop removing posts about the Israeli land theft currently underway in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. Many Palestinian activists have had their Instagram stories where they are sharing demonstration information or videos of the situation in Sheikh Jarrah removed without notice. The removal of this information is harmful and biased.
An Israeli court ruled that Jewish settlers were legally allowed to seize the homes of several Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah. Other Palestinians in the neighborhood rightly fear that this sets a dangerous precedent, and worry that their families may be next. Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homes, and their homes have been taken over by Jewish settlers. These families have lived in these homes for decades.
Protests against the forced removal of Palestinian families in the area have been met with egregious violence from Israeli forces. Several Palestinians have been injured because they were peacefully protesting land theft.
Concerned activists have every right to post both information about the ethnic cleansing being carried out in East Jerusalem and information about demonstrations against land theft.
The deliberate censoring of this information is rooted in anti-Palestinian bigotry and goes against the right to free speech. This censorship is disproportionately affecting Palestinians and we demand that Instagram stop removing posts about the crisis in Sheikh Jarrah.
