Online Racism Still Strong Despite Bans

Facebook has taken first steps to prevent hate mail being spread, but the network of all networks still has racist elements.

Facebook has removed several pages from its social network site, pages used by Italian Neo-Nazis due to protests of European politicians, who state that social network sites, like the popular Facebook, offer a platform to develop support for racist groups.

Sever different racist groups were created on Facebook, where hate messages can be found against the Roma people. Officially, Facebook has announced the groups were removed due to violation of terms of use.

In the past several months, Italian Roma minority has suffered several attacks throughout the country, while the media concentrate on crimes and felonies committed by the Roma people. The Italian government has also “demolished” several Roma settlements.

Italian politicians and the Catholic Church determined that Italy is going through what the Jews were going through in Nazi Germany – demonization of a certain ethnic group.

Facebook should filter hate messages, Shimon Samuels of the Simon Wiesenthal organisation for the protection of Jewish rights claims.

This is nothing new, it has happened before and it has happened on Facebook, Samuels claims, adding that it is no wonder that marginalised Neo-Nazis used Facebook for this purpose – Samuels said in an interview for Reuters.

Christian principles

While Facebook is taking measures to remove hate messages from its pages, the Internet still includes some pages, some more-or-less official, which advocate a “racial war”, with messages of peace, for instance www.kkk.com. After reading the welcome message on the Ku Klux Klan`s site, you can read that the Knights Party “brings a message of hope and deliverance to White Christian America.  A message of hope, not hate”.

Still, if you go on reading, you will get to a quote by pastor Thomas Robb, who warns of race war against whites, blaming minorities and advocating peaceful resistance – highly contradictive for a Christian pastor, if we keep in mind that the Bible says all God`s children are the same.

At this site, you can buy everything a young and perspective klan member needs to start their career with the KKK or at least decorate their home with memorabilia, reminiscent of their favourite racist group.

Presidents in white hoods

Also, if you want a bit more “refine” design, here is www.knightskkk.com, an official site of the Ku Klux Klan Knights. The site states that the Knights are a fraternity organisation, which promotes the ideas and ideals of Western Christian civilization.

In addition, the Knights boast with their famous and world-acknowledged political membership. They had four American presidents for members: Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding and Harry S. Truman. White patriot Christians and citizens who obey the law”. A question is raised: why are there so many media reports on klan violence against minorities?

To summarise, Christianity has nothing to do with racism. The fact that racist organisations refer to religion, discredits their leaders and their objectives.