Reddit bans supremacist, Nazi groups promoting violence

The famous “anything goes” online discussion forum Reddit does have limits — and it’s now drawn them at Nazis and white supremacists who espouse violence.

The site posted an update Wednesday saying it would “take action against any content that encourages, glorifies, incites or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual or a group of people.”

The San Francisco-based company that runs the site has shut down at least 10 discussion topics, called sub-reddits, including ones titled National Socialism, Nazi, European Nationalism and Dylann Roof Innocent.

Roof, a self-avowed white supremacist, murdered nine people at a Charleston, S.C., church in 2015.

Most of the groups had between 7,000 and 25 members.

In a posting about Community Restrictions, the site said it understands “there are sometimes reasons to post violent content (e.g., educational, newsworthy, artistic, satire, documentary, etc.) so if you’re going to post something violent in nature that does not violate these terms, ensure you provide context to the viewer so the reason for posting is clear.”

Reddit will also cut content that “glorifies or encourages the abuse of animals,” though that ban does not apply to discussions of hunting.