TEHRAN: American media platforms have once again targeted accounts affiliated with Iranian officials and organizations. On Tuesday, YouTube removed the channel of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
According to IRNA, YouTube informed the Iranian Foreign Ministry that the channel was removed due to “severe or repeated violations” of the platform’s “violent criminal organizations policy.”
The ban appears to have followed the ministry’s posting of a video highlighting the plight and resistance of Palestinians amidst ongoing Israeli attacks in the besieged Gaza Strip. Tehran Times reported this development.
This incident is part of a broader trend of censorship by American media platforms, which have been actively blocking access to information and silencing dissent critical of the Israeli regime over the past eight months.
In February, Meta shut down the Instagram and Facebook accounts of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, citing “repeated violations of the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.”
Ayatollah Khamenei had been using these platforms to support Palestinians, urging global entities to uphold human rights and stop Israel from committing genocide in Gaza.
Between October and November 2023, Human Rights Watch conducted a comprehensive investigation, finding over 1,050 instances of content takedowns and suppression on Instagram and Facebook. These posts, shared by Palestinians and their advocates, focused on human rights violations and were subject to censorship.
Human Rights Watch identified these cases regardless of the perspective shared. Out of the 1,050 reviewed cases, 1,049 involved censorship or undue suppression of peaceful pro-Palestine content, while only one case involved the removal of pro-Israel content. These instances encompassed content from over 60 countries, predominantly in English, all expressing peaceful support for Palestine.
Over the past eight months, Israel has conducted a deadly and destructive military campaign in the Gaza Strip, killing over 38,000 Palestinian civilians, destroying much of Gaza, and committing numerous war crimes since October 7th.
In a recent violation of humanitarian law, Israel killed over 45 people, including women and children, who were sheltering in tents in Gaza’s southern Rafah region, a designated “safe zone” by the Israeli military.
Reports indicate the victims died trapped in burning tents. A widely circulated video of the Sunday airstrikes has shocked global audiences, showing a slaughtered toddler who lost his head and limbs.
Additionally, there has been a notable lack of response from American media platforms in addressing the rise of Islamophobia propagated by Israeli accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Despite posts dehumanizing Palestinians and justifying violence against Gaza’s children, these Zionist figures’ accounts have not been removed, banned, or limited.
