Meta Oversight Board okays calls for violence against Venezuelan ‘colectivos’

Meta should allow users to post “aspirational” statements for Venezuelan paramilitary groups to be killed, the Oversight Board ruled in a decision released on Thursday. The board’s ruling involves two posts on Facebook and Instagram in the wake of Venezuela’s contested presidential election, both of which were captioned with calls for violence against members of paramilitary groups, called colectivos. The board found that these posts were “statements expressing a hope that violent actors will be killed,” rather than specific calls for violence, and therefore said they don’t violate Meta’s rules.

The board’s decision noted the “limited outlets for free expression” in Venezuela and the colectivos’ role “in the violent crackdown against…

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