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Imperial War Museums join ‘Stop Hate for Profit’ campaign

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imperial war museum

Imperial War Museums (IWM) have joined the ‘Stop Hate for Profit‘ campaign, and will be taking a break from paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

Imperial War Museums, a museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, is boycotting Facebook and Instagram for their handling of hate speech.

Social media platforms continue to receive criticism on their handling of hate speech, and in response corporations and advertisers are pulling away as part of #StopHateForProfit.

IWM is the first British cultural institution to join the #StopHateForProfit campaign, withdrawing its advertising from Facebook and Instagram through July.

Boycotting social media for handling of hate speech

“All we’re doing, like everyone else who has joined the campaign, is asking Facebook to take some responsibility and accountability,” Pete Austin, IWM’s assistant director of marketing and communications, told i.

“They must think about what impact the spread of inauthentic information has in society.”

“Like every other museum right now, we are ramping up efforts to reach as many people as possible in the hope they’ll come back and support us when we reopen,” added Austin.

“I’m sure there are some organisations where that desperation to safeguard their future has affected the decision [on Facebook and Instagram]. For us, to be authentic it shouldn’t matter what’s going on around this.”

Discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, IWM said: “Making a statement about Black Lives Matter is no substitute for making actionable change. We know there’s a long way for us to go.”

500 companies pull advertising from Facebook

#StopHateForProfit was created by a civil rights coalition that includes the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and Color of Change.

“Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence,” wrote the Anti-Defamation League.

Stop Hate for Profit has resulted in more than 500 companies pulling their advertising from Facebook, including Starbucks, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, Adidas, Reebok, Verizon, Microsoft, Ford, and Ben & Jerry’s.

Six Flags, the first theme park company to join the campaign, previously confirmed that it is taking a break from paid advertising on Facebook.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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