NAIROBI: Facebook says it has removed a post by Ethiopia’s prime minister that urged citizens to rise up and “bury” the rival Tigray forces who now threaten the capital as the country’s war reaches the one-year mark.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s post on Sunday violated the platform’s policies against inciting and supporting violence, spokeswoman Emily Cain for Facebook’s parent company, Meta, told The Associated Press. It was taken down on Tuesday morning, she said.
“The obligation to die for Ethiopia belongs to all of us,” Abiy said in the now-deleted post that called on citizens to mobilize “by holding any weapon or capacity.”
Abiy is still regularly posting on the platform, where he has 3.5 million followers. The United States and others have warned Ethiopia about “dehumanizing rhetoric” after the prime minister in comments in July described the Tigray forces as “cancer” and “weeds.”
Facebook has removed posts from world leaders before, although in rare circumstances. Earlier this year, the company deleted a video from US President Donald Trump in which he peddled false claims about election fraud following a deadly skirmish at the US Capitol. Facebook said at the time the video contributed to “the risk of ongoing violence.” Just last week, the tech platform yanked a live broadcast from Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro because he made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Spokeswoman Cain did not say how Facebook was made aware of the Ethiopia post, which the Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister made as Tigray forces took control of key cities over the weekend that put them in position to move down a major highway toward the capital, Addis Ababa.
Alarmed, Abiy’s government this week declared a national state of emergency with sweeping powers of detention and military conscription. The prime minister repeated his call to “bury” the Tigray forces in public comments on Wednesday as he and other officials marked one year of war.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s highly polarized social media this week saw a number of high-profile posts targeting ethnic Tigrayans and even suggesting they be placed in concentration camps.
Thousands of people have been killed in the war between Ethiopian and allied forces and the Tigray ones who long dominated the national government before Abiy took office. The United Nations human rights chief said Wednesday they had received reports of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans being rounded up for detention in recent months.
Former Facebook product manager-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen last month singled out Ethiopia as an example of what she called the platform’s “destructive impact” on society. “My fear is that without action, divisive and extremist behaviors we see today are only the beginning,” she told the Senate consumer protection subcommittee. “What we saw in Myanmar and are seeing in Ethiopia are only the opening chapters of a story so terrifying, no one wants to read the end of it.”
Meta spokeswoman Cain declined to say how many staffers they have on the ground in Ethiopia or dedicated to detecting violent speech in Ethiopia on its platform, but she said the company has the capability to review posts in Somali, Amharic, Oromo, and Tigrinya. She also said it has a team that includes people from Ethiopia or who have spent time in the country.
But Berhan Taye, a researcher in digital rights based in neighboring Kenya who tracks social media on Ethiopia and regularly escalates questionable posts to the Facebook platform, told the AP last week the platform wasn’t moderating in the Tigrinya language, the language of Tigrayans, as recently as April.
Overall in Ethiopia, “if you report (posts) on the platform, it’s very highly likely to get no reply at all,” she said. “From the amount we escalate, and the number of replies we get, that tells you their internal system is really limited.”
Facebook removes Ethiopian PM’s post for inciting violence
https://arab.news/6nkm2
Facebook removes Ethiopian PM’s post for inciting violence
- Facebook removed a post by Ethiopia’s prime minister that urged citizens to rise up and “bury” the rival Tigray forces
- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s post on Sunday violated the platform’s policies against inciting and supporting violence
PHD MENA appoints Christian Fedorczuk as new CEO
- Appointment marks Fedorczuk’s return to Omnicom Media Group after nearly 15 years
DUBAI: Media network Omnicom Media Group Middle East & North Africa has named Christian Fedorczuk CEO of its media agency PHD.
Fedorczuk has over two decades of global experience in the media and creative industries across agency networks such as IPG, dentsu and Omnicom Media Group in London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dubai.
The appointment marks his return to Omnicom Media Group and the MENA region having served as the network’s group director for strategy and development from 2007 to 2010.
Fedorczuk’s latest stint was as co-founder of creative studio Acumen in Tokyo, which services clients such as adidas, Red Bull, LVMH, Nike, Netflix and Apple.
Elda Choucair, CEO of Omnicom Media Group, said: “Christian is such a multi-faceted individual, structured and innovative in equal measures, well-travelled and a people person, he will fit perfectly at PHD, where effectiveness and creativity live in perfect harmony.
“I have been looking for the opportunity to bring him back and I am delighted to have now found it.”
Egyptian YouTuber Ahmed AbouZaid detained on illegal currency trading charges
- AbouZaid arrested shortly after being shortlisted for an award at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai
- It is alleged authorities used the YouTuber’s withdrawal of a large sum of money as a pretext for his arrest
LONDON: Egyptian YouTuber Ahmed AbouZaid, whose channel is known for its educational content, has been detained by authorities on accusations of illegal currency trading.
AbouZaid, whose popular YouTube channel Droos Online has 8.65 million subscribers, was arrested last week at his home in the Gharbia Governorate after withdrawing a large sum of cash from his personal bank account, according to sources close to the matter.
The arrest came just days after he was shortlisted for an award at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.
Egyptian authorities initially detained AbouZaid for four days pending an investigation.
After an appeal by his defense team, his detention was extended for another 15 days.
On Jan. 13, a court confirmed the detention and referred him to the criminal court for trial.
A source close to AbouZaid accused Egyptian authorities of fabricating the charges, claiming that his withdrawal of a significant amount of money was used as a pretext for the arrest.
“YouTube revenues are the main source of income for Ahmed,” the source said, adding that all financial transactions were conducted through Egyptian banks.
AbouZaid, who previously worked as a “civil engineer dodging scorpions in the Arabian desert,” became a full-time YouTuber in 2017 after realizing he was earning more from his online platform than from his day job.
He creates educational content, including simplified English language courses, life management advice, and tips for achieving practical success, making him one of the most followed content creators in Egypt.
Pro-Palestinian group to proceed with London march despite ‘discriminatory’ police ban
- Met Police have upheld a ban on Jan. 18 rally despite Palestinian Solidarity Campaign proposing alternative route
- Group rejects claim that supporters encouraged people to defy police-imposed conditions
LONDON: The organizers of a planned pro-Palestine demonstration outside the BBC’s London headquarters have labeled a police decision to block the march as “discriminatory” and announced their intention to proceed with the event on Jan. 18.
The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, which is organizing the march, made the announcement on Tuesday following a meeting with London’s Metropolitan Police.
In a statement, the group accused the authorities of deliberately seeking to prevent their protest outside the BBC. “The police have made abundantly clear that the real aim is to block us from protesting at the BBC under any circumstances,” the PSC said.
The Met had previously announced its decision to ban the march, citing security concerns after consultations with local business owners and religious leaders who raised objections to the demonstration’s proximity to a synagogue.
The PSC has repeatedly denied that its marches — which are regularly attended by Jewish groups — pose any threat to the Jewish community.
The Metropolitan Police are attempting to block our protest at the BBC.
— Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@PSCupdates) January 14, 2025
This attack on our right to protest is discriminatory and anti-democratic.
Despite this, #WeWillMarch.
Join us at 12PM on Saturday 18 January at Whitehall. pic.twitter.com/orGHbKpC7a
To address the police’s concerns, the PSC proposed reversing the original route, and suggested that the march begin at Whitehall and avoid the synagogue’s Shabbat service, which ends at 1 p.m., before finishing at Portland Place.
However, the group said that police rejected the proposal and instead introduced “new and dubious justifications” for the ban. The PSC also accused authorities of falsely claiming that “influential supporters and organizers” of the march had encouraged attendees to defy police-imposed conditions.
Over the weekend, hundreds of political, cultural and social figures voiced their support for the right to demonstrate in solidarity with Palestine.
A letter organized by a Jewish bloc that regularly takes part in pro-Palestine marches gathered more than 700 signatures from members of the Jewish community.
The PSC said its protest is rooted in frustration over “the complicity of the BBC, which has failed to report the facts of this genocide,” adding that the police have “no legitimate grounds” to block the march.
It remains unclear how the situation will unfold on Saturday or whether an agreement will be reached to avoid potential disruption or police intervention.
In a statement to Arab News on Wednesday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said that there were no updates, highlighting that the police’s position “still stands” based on earlier statements.
PSC media officer Bhavesh Hindocha described the situation as “fluid,” adding that changes could occur up to the day of the march.
“We intend to march from Whitehall towards the BBC, as close as we can depending on police conditions,” he said.
TikTok calls report of possible sale to Musk’s X ‘pure fiction’
- Rumors circulated Monday that TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, is considering selling the platform’s US operations to Elon Musk’s social media platform, X
- Congress legislation could force TikTok to divest its US operations, requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the platform or shut it down
NEW YORK: TikTok on Tuesday labeled as “pure fiction” a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform’s US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.
Citing anonymous people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News had earlier reported that Chinese officials were considering selling the company’s US operations to Musk’s social media platform X.
The report outlined one scenario being discussed in Beijing where X would purchase TikTok from Chinese owner ByteDance and combine it with the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told AFP.
The report estimated the value of TikTok’s US operations at between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Although Musk is currently ranked as the world’s wealthiest person, Bloomberg said it was not clear how Musk could execute the transaction, or if he would need to sell other assets.
The US Congress passed a law last year that requires ByteDance to either sell its wildly popular platform or shut it down. It goes into effect on Sunday — a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users and is a conduit to spread propaganda. China and ByteDance strongly deny the claims.
TikTok has challenged the law, taking an appeal all the way to the US Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on Friday.
At the hearing, a majority of the conservative and liberal justices on the nine-member bench appeared skeptical of arguments by a lawyer for TikTok that forcing a sale was a violation of First Amendment free speech rights.
Bloomberg characterized Beijing’s consideration of a possible Musk transaction as “still preliminary,” noting that Chinese officials have yet to reach a consensus on how to proceed.
Musk is a close ally of Trump and is expected to play an influential role in Washington in the coming four years.
He also runs electric car company Tesla, which has a major factory in China and counts the country as one of the automaker’s biggest markets.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to enact new tariffs on Chinese goods, which would expand a trade war begun in his first term and which was largely upheld, and in some cases supplemented, by outgoing President Joe Biden.
Indonesia plans minimum age for social media use
- Minister Meutya Hafid said plans will “protect children in digital space,” did not specify minimum age
JAKARTA: Indonesia plans to issue a regulation to set a minimum age for users of social media, a move aimed at protecting children, its communications minister has said.
The plans follows Australia’s decision to ban children under 16 from accessing social media, with fines for tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta to TikTok if they failed to prevent children accessing their platforms.
Minister Meutya Hafid did not say what the minimum age would be in Indonesia. Her remarks, made late on Monday, came after Meutya discussed the plan with President Prabowo Subianto.
“We discussed how to protect children in digital space,” she said in a video uploaded on the YouTube channel of the president’s office.
“The president said to carry on with this plan. He is very supportive on how this kind of child protection will be done in our digital space,” she said.
Internet penetration in Indonesia, a country of about 280 million people, reached 79.5 percent last year, according to a survey of 8,700 people by the Indonesia Internet service providers’ association.
The survey showed 48 percent of children under 12 had access to the Internet, with some respondents of that age group using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The survey showed Internet penetration was 87 percent among “Gen Z” users, or those age 12 to 27.
