Facebook, Instagram: why Meta no longer considers the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov battalion a dangerous organization

The neo-Nazi Azov Regiment has just been removed from Meta’s list of dangerous organizations.

This prevents the entities that are registered there from having an activity on the group’s social networks, such as Facebook or Instagram. The Azov regiment has been at the heart of many controversies since the start of the war in Ukraine, because of its neo-Nazi origins.

The Azov regiment will be able to express itself on Facebook

Will the Wolfsangel be recognized on Facebook and Instagram, too? This is suggested by a decision by the Meta Oversight Council, which removed the Azov Regiment from its list of dangerous organizations. With this withdrawal, members of the Ukrainian armed group will be able to open accounts on several major social networks and express themselves there without risking banishment. Unless of course you violate the rules of use, of course.

This authorization is part of Meta’s desire to take greater account of the context in which “problematic” players express themselves. A few weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg’s company authorized the cry of “Death to Khamenei” despite its policy of moderating violence. The Supervisory Board then argued that this was more of a slogan of political revolt than a serious threat to the life of the Supreme Leader.

For Meta, Azov has changed

The fact remains that the Azov regiment will pose a moral problem for the giant. This nationalist and far-right group was founded by politician Andriy Biletsky following Euromaidan in 2014. The latter, historical commander of the battalion of several thousand fighters, was openly neo-Nazi in the 2000s before to gradually police his speech. Despite a certain “mainstreaming”, the organization still displays visuals from the III^e Reich such as the Wolfsangel, the famous blue figure printed on the yellow flags of the regiment and used in its time as a symbol by the SS Das Reich division.

However, for Meta, there would now be two Azovs: the Azov Regiment and the Azov Movement. The first, authorized, would be a combat unit under the formal command and authority of the Ukrainian government. The second would remain dangerous. The Californian group explains that “ them [autres] elements of the Azov movement, including the national body, and its founder Andriy Biletsky » remain registered on the famous list. He further adds that ” hate speech, hate symbols, calls for violence, and other content that violates our Community Standards are still prohibited “. Who doubted it?

Source : washington post