Zuckerberg: Stop defending the incitement of violence

Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins posted a message to his Facebook account that openly incites violence against Muslims. The post is still up and a Facebook spokesperson said it does not violate their hate speech policy. [1]
Online statements have real-life consequences. A few weeks ago, a man known to post anti-Muslim and anti-Black statements on social media stabbed and killed Anthony Johnson, a 57-year-old Black man. [2]

Meanwhile, there's no denying that what Higgins wrote was hate speech deliberately inciting violence. He wrote,

"The free world... all of Christendom... is at war with Islamic horror. Not one penny of American treasure should be granted to any nation who harbors these heathen animals. Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identify them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all."

Higgins stands by his statement by saying he wasn't referring to "all Muslims"––Facebook has decided to side with him instead of working to protect an increasingly marginalized population in the current political atmosphere.

A person reading this statement could walk away with the idea that violence against Muslims is legitimate. As violent hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise, along with anti-Muslim groups, this type of speech should not be tolerated and doesn't bode well for the future we're headed towards.

A congressman openly inciting violence against a group of people––criminalizing them without trial, without cause, and without reason––is unacceptable.

For a Facebook spokesperson to defend the use of this incitement, and to keep the post up despite it's grotesque words shows that Zuckerberg needs to do more than just simply say he's against the Muslim Ban or against Trump's policies.

We need clear guidelines on how Facebook will deal with violent speech towards groups that are increasingly becoming targets of White Supremacists, of violent hate crimes, and of elected officials that do not have our interests in mind.

Facebook must immediately remove Congressman Clay Higgins while preserving the contents of his messages in a digital archive in case they are needed for legal or other purposes in the future.

Sources:
1. "Congressman Calls for Holy War on Muslims on Facebook: 'Kill Them All' [Updated]," Gizmodo. January 5, 2017. https://gizmodo.com/congressman-calls-for-holy-war-on-muslims-on-facebook-1795815124

2. "'Major Trump supporter' who allegedly killed black man had previously stabbed 2 people." Mic. https://mic.com/articles/179057/major-trump-supporter-who-allegedly-killed-black-man-had-previously-stabbed-2-people