Facebook, Twitter: we must do better
Social media giants write apologetic letters to Chief Rabbi after walkout over rapper Wiley’s antisemitic tirades
FACEBOOK’S VICE President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg wrote to Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis last week in response to his call for further action from social media companies to challenge hate in the wake of the Wiley antisemitism storm.
The former deputy prime minister wrote that he “fully” understood why, in a letter sent to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Rabbi had said he had “felt it necessary to suspend your activity on our platforms.”
Accepting that Facebook “has a responsibility to protect our users from hate and to stop our platforms from being used to spread it”, the former Liberal Democrat leader added “we agree we have more to do”.
He wrote: “I hope it might reassure you to know that tackling harmful content like this is the focus of thousands of people at this company.”
On the Wiley case he said that “following a report from one of our anti-hate speech partners in the UK” Facebook had taken “additional steps as he continued to break our rules, first placing him in a seven-day block on Instagram, and then on Facebook, as he shifted his activity there. As we continued our investigation, we became aware of additional violating posts on Instagram and a new Facebook Page. This led us to remove his accounts completely, and we have now banned him from using Facebook or Instagram.”
Mr Clegg added: “I recognise that, despite this outcome, you feel strongly that we should have moved faster when tackling complex and evolving situations like this one. We want to listen and learn from those who live with these issues every day, so that we may apply these lessons in ways that will make us better able to take action in future.”
In a separate letter, Dara Nasr the Managing Director of Twitter UK, repeated earlier apologies made to communal organisations over the company’s slow response to Wiley’s tweets.
Mr Nasr wrote: “We have deeply valued our opportunity to work with the Jewish community and antisemitism organisations, as well as civil society more broadly, in taking steps to combat hate online.
“With that in mind, we were extremely disappointed by the speed of our response on this occasion, and we are determined to do all we can to make Twitter safer going forwards.”
An MBE awarded to Wiley is officially under review following his antisemitic rants, the Cabinet Office has confirmed. The Honours Committee had launched an investigation into the rapper’s actions.
A rapping rabbi has found acclaim after recording a hardhitting response to Grime artist Wiley’s antisemitic social media rants.
Released on social media last week and instantly attracting over 25,000 views, Moshe Friedman’s ‘Jewish Rapper Responds To Wiley’ issues an open challenge to “Some British rapper full of hate tweeting dangerous views”. Its carefully worded lyrics then ask: “Makes me wonder if there’s any safe space for the Jews.”
Rabbi Friedman’s foray into music is not a stunt. Growing up in New York, he admits to being a fan of hip hop music – particularly those tracks that featured a powerful message along with punchy beats.
Now working for the Forum for Jewish Leadership in the UK, run by education charity Aish, he said he created the track and its accompanying video to expose the folly behind Wiley’s opinions.
But he is also keen to point out the track, which uses music that would not sound out of place had it been recorded by the rapper Drake, is not just about “taking a pot shot” at Wiley.
“I would love it if this created dialogue and we could engage,” said Rabbi Friedman. “I draw hope from some of the examples coming out of America – the footballer who after recognising what he said was antisemitic agreed to visit Poland.”
He also said he thought long and hard over his rap’s lyrics, which feature lines about how “community values hard work” and how “success is Jewish revenge” over those who have oppressed us.
“From what I hear, no-one works harder than the rapper Wiley,” he added.
Rabbi Friedman also said he hoped to release an album of tracks recorded during the lockdown. Not all will be as hard-hitting as his latest single. “I’m trying not to pigeonhole myself as the identity politics rapper,” he said.
BY LEE HARPIN