Social media users worldwide, especially those with origin in Palestine, have criticised social media apps for censoring content about attacks on residents and activists by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Large forces of the Israeli occupation police stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and fired rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at the worshipers, and others were arrested.
According to the Red Crescent Society in Jerusalem 53 civilians were injured during confrontations with the occupation forces in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Jarrah and Bab Al-Amud. Most of the injuries were to the eyes and face, noting that 23 of them were taken to the hospital.
Several Instagram users have criticised social media app Instagram for blocking them from sharing live videos about AlQuds, censoring their posts and temporary blocking them from sharing related news.
“Posts from your account have recently been removed for going against our Community Guidelines,” the Instagram pop-up says.
Social media users from the ground and around the world have uploaded and shared video content and images about the attacks, using the hashtag in both English and Arabic #SaveSheikhJarrah.
Dr. Yara Hawari, Palestinian academic, writer & senior policy analyst for Alshabaka, tweeted, “Instagram is deleting Palestinian activists’ stories on the ethnic cleansing happening in Sheikh Jarrah. This is not a conspiracy, this is not a fluke. Social media companies have been & will always be antithetical to revolution & resistance. #SaveSheikhJarrah”Similarly, NewPress tweeted, “Twitter administration suspended the NewPress English account. Twitter is fighting the Palestinian content which exposes the crime of displacing Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, in Jerusalem.”
