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Facebook bans Holocaust denial posts; NYC Jewish man berated for not wearing mask on empty street; YouTube cracks down on QAnon conspiracy theory

ADL Headlines newsletter

October 16, 2020

THE WEEK’S BIG 3

After years of urging from ADL and other civil rights organizations, Facebook will ban posts that deny the Holocaust. A video has gone viral on social media of a man shouting at a Hasidic Jewish man for not wearing a mask on an empty New York City street. YouTube on Thursday became the latest social media giant to take steps to stop QAnon, the sprawling right-wing conspiracy theory community whose online fantasies about a cabal of satanic pedophiles running the world have spilled over into offline violence.

Read on for more on these headlines, news you can use to fight hate and the latest info about ADL from around the country.

1) Facebook Bans Holocaust Denial, Distortion Posts

“Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new policy Monday, the latest attempt by the company to take action against conspiracy theories and misinformation ahead of the U.S. presidential election three weeks away.” Associated Press: READ MORE

+ After Long Fight, ADL is Relieved at Facebook Announcement That It Will Remove Holocaust Denial Content

+ ADL Resource: Facebook Has a Holocaust Denial Problem

2) NYC Jewish Man Berated for Not Wearing Mask on Empty Street

 “The video, which appeared to be taken from someone driving a car, features a man shouting at the Hasidic Jewish man, ‘Put your f—ing mask on! Put your mask on! There’s COVID cases! Hurry up! Put it on!’ The Jewish man, who was talking on the phone, puts his mask on. Nobody was around him.” Jewish Journal: FULL STORY

+ Jonathan Greenblatt tweet: This is #antisemitism, plain & simple. This man had no one near him & had a mask at the ready. The only reason he is being harassed is because he is an Orthodox Jew…

+ READ: Jonathan Greenblatt and Devorah Halberstam op-ed in the New York Daily News

3) YouTube Cracks Down on QAnon Conspiracy Theory, Citing Offline Violence

“The company announced in a blog post that it was updating its hate speech and harassment policies to prohibit ‘content that targets an individual or group with conspiracy theories that have been used to justify real-world violence.’ The new policy will prohibit content promoting QAnon, as well as related conspiracy theories such as Pizzagate, which falsely claims that top Democrats and Hollywood elites are running an underground sex-trafficking ring from the basement of a Washington pizza restaurant.” The New York Times: FULL STORY

+ Jonathan Greenblatt tweet: Good to see @YouTube taking additional action to tackle #antisemitism, conspiracy theories, QAnon and other hateful activity on the platform…

+ ADL Resource: QAnon Conspiracies on Facebook Could Prompt Real-World Violence

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