So, Karen, just so you understand the consequences of your actions:

Because you reported this post (mastodon.energy/@AngelaScholde…) by @joynewacc for an erroneously autocompleted hashtag (#doctor -> #doctorWho), a mastodon.social moderator *deleted her post*.

Yes, read that again: the post of a Palestinian, suffering through genocide in Gaza and trying to share her experience – someone who is, moreover, a founding team member of Gaza Verified (gaza-verified.org/team/) – was *deleted* for a stupid hashtag that some white Karen in the West got distressed about.

This is so fucking wrong in so many ways that I don’t know where to begin.

I want to know:

1. Is it mastodon.social policy to just go ahead and delete the posts of its members or was this a moderator acting out of spite against a Palestinian? (Or is everyone on mastodon.social at risk of having their posts deleted if moderators don’t agree with the hashtags they use?)

2. If this is not mastodon.social policy, I’d like to know what action will be taken regarding this moderation action and the moderator responsible and what will change internally to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again.

Israel is already doing their best to erase Palestinians. The least we can do is to not help them by literally deleting the posts of Palestinians on the fediverse. Thank goodness hashtags weren’t a thing in the days of Anne Frank because clearly some of you would have burned her diary had she used the wrong one by mistake.

3. Can we all, please, have some fucking basic decency and maintain perspective when dealing with people suffering through genocide, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid? It’s a pretty low bar for humanity.

And, whatever you do, do not be this Karen.

Check your bloody privilege.

And fuck your hashtag.

We’re talking about human lives here.

CC @staff

#Gaza #Palestine #mastodon #fediverse #moderation #mastodonSocial #genocide #ethnicCleansing #apartheid #settlerColonialism