#BanTaliban
London, USA, and Sweden - On March 11, 2023, concerned citizens from Afghanistan organized and participated in peaceful protests in major cities around the world, demanding the immediate ban of the Taliban from Twitter. The demonstrations aimed to hold the group accountable for its reign of terror in Afghanistan and to urge Twitter to take action against the group's extremist propaganda and false information.
The Taliban has a long history of using social media platforms to spread its ideology of hate, violence, and terrorism. Since the group's takeover of Afghanistan, it has stepped up its use of Twitter to justify its actions and to promote its distorted narrative of the conflict in Afghanistan. The Taliban's tweets are often filled with misinformation, glorification of violence, and calls to commit atrocities against civilians, particularly women and girls.
The protesters emphasized that Twitter's community standards prohibit the promotion of terrorism, hate speech, and violent extremism. By allowing the Taliban to use its platform, Twitter is effectively giving a voice to a terrorist organization that has caused immense harm to the people of Afghanistan. The protesters called on Twitter to take swift and decisive action to ban the Taliban from its platform.
The Taliban's use of Twitter not only violates the platform's community standards, but it also poses a significant threat to the people of Afghanistan and the international community. The Taliban's tweets often contain graphic images and videos of violent acts, which can traumatize viewers and spread fear and panic. Moreover, the group's use of social media to radicalize young people and recruit new members is a growing concern for security officials around the world.
The people of Afghanistan have suffered greatly under the Taliban's oppressive regime. The group's brutal treatment of women and girls, its targeted killings of activists and journalists, and its destruction of public property have caused untold misery and suffering. The organizers of the protests emphasized that banning the Taliban from social media is an essential step towards ending the group's reign of terror and bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.
The protesters demand that Twitter and its CEO, Elon Musk, take necessary measures to ban the Taliban from their platform immediately. They pledged to continue their peaceful demonstrations until their voices are heard, and action is taken to protect the people of Afghanistan from the Taliban's violence and oppression.
The international community should support this demand for justice and accountability for the crimes committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is our collective responsibility to stand against terrorism and extremism in all forms and to protect our societies from their destructive impact.
— Maher Saadat
