Trump campaign's excuse for using 'Nazi' symbol in ads
Facebook has removed ads from Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign over Nazi imagery that the social network says violates its policy banning "organised hate".
The Trump ads in question blasted "Dangerous MOBS of far-left groups” which it claimed are "running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem".
The ads featured an upside-down triangle, which anti-hate groups said was strikingly similar to notorious Nazi symbols denoting political prisoners in World War II concentration camps.
"We removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organised hate," a Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Variety.
"Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group's symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or discusses the symbol."
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The Trump ads on Facebook also called on his followers to "stand with your President and declare ANTIFA a Terrorist Organisation".
Progressive watchdog group Media Matters called out the Trump 2020 ads Thursday on Twitter, claiming the president's campaign ran 88 individual ads on Facebook with the inverted red triangle - which it said was "an infamous Nazi symbol".
An emoji – not a hate symbol, says Trump campaign
In response, the Trump campaign said that the down-pointing red triangle is an emoji and "a symbol widely used by Antifa".
The Trump campaign also said it is not included in the Anti-Defamation League's Hate Symbols Database.
“This is an emoji,” the tweet by Trump’s verified campaign account read.
“It's also a symbol widely used by Antifa. It was used in an ad about Antifa.
“It is not in the ADL's Hate Symbols Database.”
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement on Twitter that Nazis used "red triangles to identify their political victims in concentration camps.
“Using it to attack political opponents is highly offensive,” Mr Greenblatt said.
“POTUS' campaign needs to learn its history, as ignorance is no excuse for using Nazi-related symbols."
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