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Trump re-election campaign ads violate Facebook ‘organised hate’ policy

Facebook has removed Trump re-election campaign ads featuring a documented symbol worn by political prisoners held in Nazi concentration camps.

The social network said the ads, which were aimed at attacking Antifa –  a loosely defined group of far-left activists accused of stoking violence during the Black Lives Matter protests – had violated its policy banning “organised hate”.

The Trump ads blasted “Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups,” which it said were “running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem”.

The posts featured an upside-down triangle, which anti-hate groups said was strikingly similar to notorious Nazi symbols denoting political prisoners in World War II concentration camps.

“We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organised hate,” a Facebook spokesperson confirmed.

“Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group’s symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol.”

The Trump ads on Facebook also called on his followers to “stand with your President and declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organisation”.

Progressive watchdog group Media Matters called out the Trump 2020 ads on Twitter, claiming the US President’s campaign ran 88 individual ads on Facebook with the inverted red triangle – which it said was “an infamous Nazi symbol”.

In response, the Trump campaign said the down-pointing red triangle was an emoji and “a symbol widely used by Antifa”.

The Trump campaign also said it was not included in the Anti-Defamation League’s Hate Symbols Database.

ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said on Twitter that Nazis used “red triangles to identify their political victims in concentration camps”.

“Using it to attack political opponents is highly offensive. POTUS’ campaign needs to learn its history, as ignorance is no excuse for using Nazi-related symbols,” he said.

US court backs young migrants’ protections

In another blow to Mr Trump, the US Supreme Court has ruled against his bid to end a program that shields illegal young migrants from deportation. 

Justices voted five-to-four on Friday morning (Australian time) to allow the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to continue.

It comes nearly three years after the Trump administration moved to rescind the eight-year-old program, which protected the 650,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children.

Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in the five-to-four decision, calling Mr Trump’s “total rescission” of DACA “arbitrary and capricious”.

In some cases, the migrant children have no memory of any home other than the US. 

Under DACA, children can receive a renewable two-year period of deferred deportation action and apply for work permits.

The Trump administration stopped accepting new applications in August 2019, but those with DACA status can still apply to renew.

The Supreme Court judges rejected Trump administration arguments that the program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA.

Mr Trump didn’t hold back in his assessment of the court’s work, hitting hard at a political angle.

“These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!” he wrote on Twitter.

In a second tweet, he wrote, “Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?”.

For now, the young immigrants retain their protection from deportation and can work in the US.

Justice Clarence Thomas said: “Today’s decision must be recognised for what it is: An effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision.”

-with AAP

Topics: Facebook
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