PMW thanks YouTube for removing terror-promoting video and reinstating PMW’s exposure of the terror video
PMW thanks YouTube for removing terror-promoting video
and reinstating PMW's exposure of the terror video
Itamar Marcus
Last week, YouTube removed a video from Palestinian Media Watch's YouTube account, claiming the video violated "YouTube's policy on hate speech," while retaining the Arabic language video on the YouTube account of the original poster, the Lebanese band "Al-Waed Band for Islamic Art." Consequently, PMW's account received a "strike." Three strikes result in account termination.
The original music video, whose purpose was to promote terror, had been viewed 63,000 times at the time that PMW's video was banned. PMW exposed this video in order to eliminate the hate speech expressed within.PMW thanks our friends at the Simon Wiesenthal Center for sending YouTube documentation that we supplied that clarified the situation. YouTube acted swiftly, reinstating PMW's video and removing the original terror-promoting video from the Al-Waed Band's account, which erased the strike against our channel.
Click here to view the reinstated video on PMW's website.
The original video promotes violence and terror attacks against Jews\Israelis, accompanied by animation that depicts Jews\Israelis as trembling in fear and fleeing from impending Palestinian terror attacks.
The following are excerpts from the music video:Lyrics: "Pack up your things, gather your children and escape on the first plane\ Or your body parts will be gathered and you'll be thrown into the fire of hell... O Zionist... My rocket longs for you, and it will land on you... O Zionist, when you walk, look left and right\ Because I'm coming at you with a machine gun, axe, or with a knife... Say farewell to your family before you get on a bus or a car... Underneath there is a bomb and the Martyrdom seeker will blow himself up."
[YouTube channel of Al-Waed Band for Islamic Art, Nov. 27, 2016]
The Lebanese band, the Al-Waed Band for Islamic Art, previously released another music video that aired on Hamas TV calling for suicide bombings against Israelis, with lyrics such as "Strap on an explosive belt... O Martyrdom seeker, respond to Al-Aqsa's call... send them to Hell... Let fire burn them, turn them into body parts, roast them," with a smoking blown-up bus in the background. [Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Feb. 6, 2016]
YouTube's Community Guidelines state that the site does not support "content that promotes or condones violence against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion... [or] nationality... or whose primary purpose is inciting hatred on the basis of these core characteristics." They also state that "YouTube strictly prohibits content intended to... incite violence, celebrate terrorist attacks or otherwise promote acts of terrorism." PMW does not promote or engage in "hate speech," but exposes hate speech, promotion of violence and glorification of terrorists in order to bring about its elimination.