Thread by @allthecitizens

🔴Web of Hate, a short doc by @manasa_nara, co-produced by @allthecitizens & @FBoversight, explores the interaction between hate speech, Facebook & India's Hindu nationalist politics from the lens of religious violence that took place in Delhi in Apr 2022

1⃣ In April, a Hindu religious rally clashed with a group of Muslims as it passed a mosque in Jahangirpuri in North Delhi. While details surrounding what triggered the violence and who the instigators were is still fuzzy, the overwhelming narrative post-violence was anti-Muslim.

2⃣ Such anti-Muslim hate speech should be seen in the context of growing intolerance towards religious minorities in India, and such hate speech on #Facebook & other social media platforms has been found to be a breeding ground for more hate & even offline violence.

3⃣ Following the Jahangirpuri violence, Muslims in the area were falsely painted as outsiders and illegals (being called ‘Rohingya’, ‘Bangladeshi’), and this claim spread across mainstream & alternative media, gaining momentum & spreading through social media as well.

4⃣ This has resulted in serious consequences for Muslims in the area, who saw their houses and shops torn down due to false claims of illegality.

5⃣ In fact, #Facebook was found to be a major driver of hate during the 2020 Delhi riots but has continued to escape accountability.
thenewsminute.com/article/inflam…

6⃣ Not just inaction, it has also been found to be aligning with players linked with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the national ruling party being run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

7⃣ While establishing immediate link between #Facebook & offline violence is a difficult task, it has undecidedly been contributing to & fueling the web of anti-Muslim hate in the country for several years now. This needs to be checked.

Watch this film by @manasa_nara, co-produced by @allthecitizens & @FBoversight, to understand this web of hate against Muslims in India, being fueled by Facebook+ platforms.

Credits ✨
Featuring residents of #Jahangirpuri, @Kum_Sambhav & Ratik Asokan
Special thanks to Mohsin Alam Bhatt, @kunalpurohit,
@govindethiraj, @Nidhi_Jacob0, @nit_set, @vandana_menon, @begentlemind, @TROY_9090 &
@allthecitizens team