Status: 03/22/2023 2:41 p.m
Employees of the German Environmental Aid (DUH) regularly see themselves exposed to hate and hate speech in certain Facebook groups. Meta has so far refused to close these groups, says the DUH – and is now suing the US company.
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has sued the Facebook parent company Meta. In the civil proceedings, the association wants the US group to delete groups in its network because of hate comments against environmental aid. There, for example, statements were published such as: “The only thing that helps against these eco-terrorists is a rubber truncheon or simply blowing them away.”
Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch is trying to enforce the closure of the groups with a model lawsuit before the Berlin Regional Court: “We no longer accept the persecution and threats in such social media groups,” said Resch.
Several employees of the environmental aid regularly threatened
He himself and his employees have experienced massive hostilities and insults for years, which have now culminated in calls for violence and fantasies of violence. Some of the threats turned into reality. For example, Resch received an envelope with a shot cartridge. According to a judicial spokeswoman, the lawsuit is to be heard on April 13 at the Berlin Regional Court.
Facebook has so far refused to close these groups. The parent company Meta has been “unable or unwilling to end this hunt for people” for years.
Neither reports to Facebook nor, in the meantime, 300 criminal charges to the police have been successful.
In the civil lawsuit, Resch is suing for the deletion and elimination of the Facebook groups, among other things, because of a violation of his personal rights. The lawsuit was filed in January 2022, said lawyer Juliane Schütt.
Meta links to the ability to report hate comments
A Meta spokeswoman said hate speech is unacceptable and that the spread of hate speech on the Meta platforms is actively countered. Meta is constantly investing in technology and reporting tools so that hate speech can be identified and removed even more quickly. “In that case, we removed the content that was reported to us.”
Attorney Schütt explained that Meta had so far been asked in vain to delete and remove it. “With the lawsuit, we want to ensure that Meta no longer shifts the responsibility onto the victims, but instead removes the breeding ground for hatred in its networks,” emphasized Schütt.
Threats of violence and death sometimes online for weeks
In contrast to the lawsuit brought by the DUH, German courts have generally dealt with the deletion of individual hate comments in social networks. The lawsuit by the DUH is breaking new legal ground, it said.
Among other things, the lawsuit aims to close a Facebook group administered by employees in the automotive industry with more than 50,000 members, it said. Threats of violence and death were repeatedly posted there and sometimes stayed for weeks.
It’s also about Facebook groups like “Stop the German Environmental Aid (DUH)!”. There, DUH employees are regularly insulted, persecuted and threatened with violence, torture, murder and specific attacks during public appearances.
The environmental aid is supported by several non-governmental organizations such as HateAid and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.
