Revenge from oaths? Facebook blocks MOPO columists

Stefan Krücken, journalist and head of the “Ankerherz-Verlag”, is used to headwinds, from right-wing oathers, from vaccine opponents, and sometimes from animal rights activists. But now it’s about more than mobbing: Facebook has blocked him, presumably after a concerted complaint campaign by unknown opponents. Krücken, who writes a weekly column in MOPO, is stunned.

The message popped on Thursday: “This Facobook account is temporarily blocked, reason: hate speech.” The day before, Krücken had published an opinion on the Ankerherz page. The reach is large, 320,000 followers. The text was about the (later cashed back) Corona resolutions and the reactions to them. “Time of the whimpers” was the headline. The comment spread quickly, reached almost a million people, and sparked lively discussions.

Revenge from oaths? Facebook blocks MOPO columists

“Germany has become a people of whimpers”, Krücken writes in it, “a people of egoists who are not in a position, even in the face of a deadly pandemic, to postpone egoism for a foreseeable period of a few months.” Nagging and grumbling ”, writes of the“ AfD’s conspiracy theories ”, the“ ruthless proletarians at BILD ”(because they immediately exclaimed“ Malle for everyone ”) and the“ greasy know-it-alls of the FDP ”.

On Facebook the text has disappeared that “Mittelländische Zeitung” however (accidentally) saved him.

Hate speech? Ankerherz publisher blocked by Facebook

Hate speech? “If a term like ‘whimpering’ is enough for a blockage by Facebook, then I see a real threat to the freedom of the press in this country,” says Stefan Krücken, father of four, audibly shaken: “This is a journalistic description of the state, a harmless one Thing. I didn’t attack anyone personally. “

There is no way to object to the blocking on Facebook. Krücken suspects that the text was shared in a large forum, the members of which reported the post in a concerted action as alleged hate speech to Facebook: “And if there are thousands of complaints, the algorithm simply blocks the account.” The result: That too The range of the anchor heart side is reduced.

Stefan Krücken: Blocking on Facebook

Particularly bitter for crutches: “We are constantly reporting attacks, the other day a degrading picture of Jens Spahn with a horse. It says: This does not contradict the Facebook community standards. ”Eerie: At the same time as the Facebook block, the radio station of the“ Ankerherz Verlag ”was the victim of a hacker attack.

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