Facebook removes 'racist page'

After widespread public outrage and pressure from the Australian government, Facebook removed the page containing racist memes about Aboriginal people. The social networking giant claimed that...

After widespread public outrage and pressure from the Australian government, Facebook removed the page containing racist memes about Aboriginal people.

The Aboriginal Memes Facebook page created a furor in Australia recently. The online petition calling for the removal of the 'racist page' generated thousands of signatures.

Even the Australian government pressurized Facebook to take down the offensive page. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy had called on Facebook's Sydney office to take the page down.

He said that the 'creator of the page, whom he believed was a 16-year-old Australian from Perth, was getting around Australian anti-discrimination laws through U.S. guarantees of free speech.'

In a statement to local media Facebook said, 'We recognise the public concern that controversial meme pages that Australians have created on Facebook have caused, we believe that sharing information, and the openness that results, invites conversation, debate and greater understanding. At the same time, we recognise that some content that is shared may be controversial, offensive, or even illegal in some countries', reports BBC News.