lethargic_man | (no subject)

At the risk of getting nobbled again...

From: unite [mailto:unite@UCU.ORG.UK]
Sent: 23 August 2007 18:49
Subject: Fascists off Facebook! - Emergency Alert

Fascists off Facebook!—Emergency Alert

London Evening Standard Runs Poll on BNP and Facebook

—Vote Now and Show Your Opposition—

The London Evening Standard is running a poll today asking if the BNP should be allowed to be on the Facebook social networking site. Because many people are unaware of the poll, and fascists are encouraging their supporters to mobilise, it is currently showing 64% of in favour of the BNP staying on Facebook.

This is in direct contradiction to the massive support we have had for the campaign to stop the BNP using Facebook to spread their dangerous racist lies and organise their campaigns of hatred. Thousands of people have joined the UAF Facebook Group or signed the email petition, people from right across Britain and including many MPs and the President of the National Union of Students.

We need to people to be aware of this poll and show their true support for getting the Fascists Off Facebook.

Please:

·        Vote now and tell your friends and contacts about this poll today!

·        Get People to sign the UAF petition- We Can Get the Fascists Off Facebook!

·        Get your MP to back the Campaign- Write today asking them to sign the petition

The poll can be found here (just click on the link). The UAF petition is below.

Fascism has no place on Facebook Petition
We the undersigned call on Facebook to terminate immediately the accounts promoting the fascist British National Party (BNP). The BNP has stated its aims of an all-white Britain which would only be possible through violence and shutting down democracy. Its page includes a link to the BNP website which contains racist, Islamophobic, homophobic content and promotes the BNP’s opposition to mixed race relationships. BNP user groups on Facebook contain racist and inciteful images and statements against Black, Muslim and migrant communities.

The BNP’s views pose a direct threat and are offensive to many Facebook users and people in society. In areas that the BNP target with its hate propaganda, racist attacks increase. In the year that the BNP targeted Barking and Dagenham, spreading racist lies about the African community in the area, racist attacks increased by 30%. The BNP uses the internet to attempt to recruit for its fascist cause and to give legitimacy to its hatred.

The Facebook’s site explicitly states that a user’s account can be terminated if a user fails to adhere to its terms and conditions, which includes agreement not to upload, post, transmit, share or make otherwise available content that can be deemed “harmful, threatening…harassing…hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable”.

We welcome the decision of First Direct and Vodaphone to withdraw advertising from Facebook after their adverts were posted near BNP content. We call on other commercial companies to follow suit until Facebook take action on this matter.

We therefore call on Facebook to take immediate action by removing British National Party related groups from its site.

Name:

Position:

Organisation:

Email:

Please copy this text into an email and send to unite@ucu.org.uk

UCU is the largest trade union and professional association for tutors, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff working in adult, further and higher education throughout the UK