"It wasn't polemical"
After AfD/Trump Post: Meta Bans Mayor
Since Tuesday, Styrian SPÖ Mayor Martin Weber has been banned from major online platforms. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp: nothing works anymore. The Styrian suspects a post about the AfD with a Trump reference is behind it.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen For many, everyday life without WhatsApp is almost unimaginable—especially for the mayor of a small town with 1,100 residents who needs to communicate constantly. But these days, the best way to reach Martin Weber—SPÖ local party leader from Tieschen in southeastern Styria and a former member of the Federal Council—is via a good old-fashioned text message. His accounts on Facebook and Instagram have also been suspended.
What happened? Following the far-right AfD’s triumph in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Weber wrote a post on Monday in which he argued that the party should provide the minister-president in the future. In essence: The voters are always right; now the AfD must deliver.
He argued that rival parties should stop fielding candidates who don’t resonate with the people—and then cited Joe Biden as an example, claiming he had contributed to Donald Trump’s reelection. “The post was factual, not polemical. That wouldn’t be my style,” Weber told the “Krone.”
Accounts were deleted within a few hours
The exact wording can no longer be verified, as Weber’s Facebook account—which had no fewer than 5,000 friends—has been “permanently deactivated.” Last Tuesday at 9:32 a.m., a message arrived from Facebook: “Your Facebook account has been suspended because your account or its activities violate our terms regarding who is allowed to use Facebook.” What exactly did that mean? It’s unclear. A few minutes later, another email followed, announcing restrictions on advertising activities.
With a single click of a button, he could request a review. “Of course I did that,” Weber said. But at 11:17 a.m., the bad news arrived: “The review was unsuccessful. Your Facebook account will be permanently deactivated.” The mayor can no longer use Instagram and WhatsApp either, both of which are part of Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta group. The reason is unclear, but the AfD/Trump post seems like a likely explanation.
Preparing an Appeal with a Lawyer
The SPÖ politician is now taking action against Meta with attorney Dieter Neger and plans to file an appeal with the broadcasting authority RTR. “We’ll see how the matter develops,” Weber said. For him, the situation is extremely unpleasant: “I’ve already been asked if I’m on vacation because nobody’s heard from me...”
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