Facebook removes Trump ads that displayed Nazi symbols

Facebook has reportedly removed Donald Trump ads containing a Nazi symbol used do designate political prisoners in concentration camps.

The Washington Post reported that Facebook deactivated Trump ads on Thursday that included an inverted red triangle symbol, which was first used in the 1930s to identify Communists and was later used to brand Jewish political prisoners. The removal of the ads reportedly came after a query by The Post.

The symbol appears in paid posts sponsored by both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. It also was featured in posts on the ‘Team Trump’ campaign page.

It was reportedly used alongside a caption warning of ‘Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups’ while asking users to sign a petition about Antifa, an amorphous group of far-left activist Trump has recently labeled a terrorist group amid protests for George Floyd, although the group’s involvement in the protests has been limited, according to arrest records.

‘We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate,’ Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said.

The President of the United States is campaigning for reelection using a Nazi concentration camp symbol.

Nazis used the red triangle to mark political prisoners and people who rescued Jews.

Trump & the RNC are using it to smear millions of protestors.

Their masks are off. pic.twitter.com/UzmzDaRBup

— Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 18, 2020

‘Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group’s symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol.’

Before they were taken down, the ad on Trump’s page made at least 950,000 impressions on Facebook. The ad on Pence’s made nearly 500,000.

A spokesman for the Trump campaign, Tim Murtaugh, has come out to say ‘the red triangle is an Antifa symbol,’ and added that it has been seen on iPhone cases and water bottles, although the most common Antifa symbol is two flags, one black and one red, inside a circle.

Murtaugh went on to note that the inverted red triangle is not included in the Anti-Defamation League’s database for hate symbols, but ADL CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt said its use by the Trump campaign is ‘offensive and deeply troubling.’

‘It is not difficult for one to criticize their political opponent without using Nazi-era imagery,’ Greenblatt told The Post.

‘We implore the Trump campaign to take greater caution and familiarize themselves with the context before doing so. Ignorance is not an excuse for appropriating hateful symbols.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.