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A26 U.S. NEWS
Friday 19 June 2020
Facebook removes Trump ads with symbols once used by Nazis

By ERIC TUCKER and BAR- latt said in a statement.
BARA ORTUTAY Even with the ads removed,
Associated Press Facebook and CEO Mark
WASHINGTON (AP) — Zuckerberg, still face criti-
Facebook has removed a cism for not removing or
campaign ad by President labeling earlier posts by
Donald Trump and Vice Trump that that spread mis-
President Mike Pence that information about voting
featured an upside-down by mail and, many said, en-
red triangle, a symbol once couraged violence against
used by Nazis to designate protesters.
political prisoners, commu- Those questions arose dur-
nists and others in concen- ing Thursday's hearing as
tration camps. Democrats pressed the ex-
The company said in a ecutives about what moral
statement Thursday that obligations they felt they
the ads violated "our policy had when it came to con-
against organized hate." A tent and about decisions
Facebook executive who they've made to remove,
testified at a House Intel- label or leave up false or
ligence Committee hear- incendiary posts.
ing on Thursday said the Facebook, for instance,
company does not permit President Donald Trump looks at his phone during a roundtable with governors on the reopening of was asked why it did not re-
symbols of hateful ideology America's small businesses, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2020, move a doctored video of
"unless they're put up with in Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pe-
context or condemnation." Associated Press losi, D-Calif., last year that
"In a situation where we appeared to show her slur-
don't see either of those, ad about antifa. He said forcement officials have of- as their symbol. ring her words.
we don't allow it on the the symbol is not in the An- fered little evidence of this. The ADL said the triangle "If we simply take a piece
platform and we remove ti-Defamation League's da- But some experts disputed was not in its database be- of content like this down, it
it. That's what we saw in tabase of symbols of hate. that the red triangle was cause it is a historical symbol doesn't go away," Gleicher
this case with this ad, and The Trump campaign also commonly used as an an- and the database includes said. "It will exist elsewhere
anywhere that that symbol argued that the symbol is tifa symbol. only those symbols used by on the internet. People
is used, we would take the an emoji. European anti-fascist modern-day extremists and who are looking for it will still
same action," said Nathan- "But it is ironic that it took a groups initially used the red white supremacists. find it."
iel Gleicher, the company's Trump ad to force the me- triangle as a symbol, hop- "Whether aware of the his- With Thursday's hearing fo-
head of security policy. dia to implicitly concede ing to reclaim its meaning tory or meaning, for the cused on the spread of dis-
The Trump campaign spent that Antifa is a hate group," after World War II, but it is Trump campaign to use information tied to the 2020
more than $17,000 on the he added. no longer widely used by a symbol — one which is election, the companies
ads for Trump and Pence Antifa is an umbrella term the movement and has practically identical to that said they had not yet seen
combined. for leftist militants bound never been used by U.S. used by the Nazi regime to the same sort of concerted
In a statement, Trump cam- more by belief than orga- antifa groups, said Mark classify political prisoners in foreign influence cam-
paign communications di- nizational structure. Trump Bray, a Rutgers University concentration camps — to paigns like the one four
rector Tim Murtaugh said has blamed antifa for the historian and author of "An- attack his opponents is of- years ago, when a Russian
the inverted red triangle violence that erupted dur- tifa: The Anti-Fascist Hand- fensive and deeply trou- troll farm sowed discord on-
was a symbol used by an- ing some of the recent pro- book." Anti-fascist groups bling," ADL chief executive line by playing up divisive
tifa so it was included in an tests, but federal law en- typically use flags or arrows officer Jonathan Greenb- social issues.q

Netflix CEO to donate $120M to historically black colleges

million to each of three in- ism. He said HBCUs have Wednesday, Google CEO
stitutions: the United Negro been resilient "little-known Sundar Pichai outlined
College Fund, Spelman gems" for black education. plans toward racial eq-
College and Morehouse Amid protests over police uity at the company that
College. The organizations brutality that began three includes increasing the
said it is the largest individu- weeks ago, companies number of black and other
al gift in support of student and business leaders have underrepresented minority
scholarships at HBCUs. been pledging solidarity executives and creating a
Hastings has a history of with their black employees $175 million "economic op-
supporting educational and the black community. portunity package" that in-
causes, including char- But tech companies — in- cludes $100 million in fund-
ter schools. He launched cluding Netflix — have fall- ing for black-led venture
a $100 million education en short in hiring, retaining capital firms and startups.
In this Feb. 28, 2017, file photo, Netflix Founder and CEO Reed fund in 2016, beginning and promoting underrep- Last week, Apple CEO Tim
Hastings smiles during an interview in Barcelona, Spain. with money toward college resented minorities within Cook announced that the
Associated Press scholarships for black and their own ranks. company will spend $100
Latino students. Other tech industry dona- million on a new Racial
By The Associated Press toward student scholar- Hastings said now is the tions in the wake of the Equity and Justice Initia-
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ships at historically black time when "everyone Black Lives Matter pro- tive, investing in education
and his wife, Patty Quillin, colleges and universities. needs to figure out" how to tests have largely been and criminal justice reform
are donating $120 million The couple is giving $40 contribute to solving rac- on the company level. On among other things. q