https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/exclusive-facebook-instagram-temporarily-allow-calls-violence-against-russians-2022-03-10/ Skip to main content Skip to floating mini video Reuters home * World * Business * Legal * Markets * More Sign In Register Menu March 10, 202211:00 PM UTCLast Updated ago * Europe Exclusive: Facebook temporarily allows posts on Ukraine war calling for violence against invading Russians or Putin's death By Munsif Vengattil and Elizabeth Culliford * * * * * 3 minute read A Facebook logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration A Facebook logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register March 10 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (FB.O) will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion, according to internal emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a temporary change to its hate speech policy. The social media company is also temporarily allowing some posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in countries including Russia, Ukraine and Poland, according to a series of internal emails to its content moderators. "As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders.' We still won't allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The calls for the leaders' deaths will be allowed unless they contain other targets or have two indicators of credibility, such as the location or method, one email said, in a recent change to the company's rules on violence and incitement. The emails said calls for violence against Russians are allowed when the post is clearly talking about the invasion of Ukraine. They said the calls for violence against Russian soldiers were allowed because this was being used as a proxy for the Russian military, and said it would not apply to prisoners of war. The temporary policy changes on calls for violence to Russian soldiers apply to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, according to one email. Last week, Russia said it was banning Facebook in the country in response to what it said were restrictions of access to Russian media on the platform. Moscow has cracked down on tech companies, including Twitter (TWTR.N), which said it is restricted in the country, during its invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation." Many major social media platforms have announced new content restrictions around the conflict, including blocking Russian state media RT and Sputnik in Europe, and have demonstrated carve-outs in some of their policies during the war. Emails also showed that Meta would allow praise of the right-wing Azov battalion, which is normally prohibited, in a change first reported by The Intercept. Meta spokesman Joe Osborne previously said the company was "for the time being, making a narrow exception for praise of the Azov Regiment strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi and Elizabeth Culliford in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen Coates Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. More from Reuters Reuters Business Sign up to our business newsletter for a daily digest of breaking business news. Sign up Daily Briefing Subscribe to our newsletter to get all the news you need to start your day. Sign up Site Index Browse * World * Business * Legal * Markets * Breakingviews * Technology * Investigations * Lifestyle About Reuters * About Reuters * Careers * Reuters News Agency * Brand Attribution Guidelines * Reuters Leadership * Reuters Fact Check * Reuters Diversity Report Stay Informed * Download the App * Newsletters Information you can trust Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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