Instagram has refused to remove an image depicting two black women holding the severed heads of white people, claiming that “people may express themselves differently” and that the picture doesn’t violate community guidelines.
The image, produced by an artist working under the name ‘sugarygarbage’, was shared to a page called ‘supportblackart’ and shows two obese black women posing with the severed heads of a white woman and man.
Despite an ongoing crackdown on offensive content, Facebook-owned Instagram refused to remove the ‘black art’, claiming it didn’t violate community guidelines.
“Because Instagram is a global community, we understand that people may express themselves differently,” Instagram said in response to an enquiry about the piece.
Needless to say, the piece generated strong reactions online. “I would put this in the same category of art as using a public toilet and not flushing,” wrote one critic.
Instagram’s stance on the piece also garnered a lot of negative feedback, with many arguing that, were the races reversed, the post would receive a vastly different response from those in charge at the social media company.
The platform is one of many in the online world engaging in a crackdown on certain types of content, often drawing accusations of bias or hypocrisy in the process. Instagram recently announced it would ban all QAnon accounts for alleged promotion of “real world harm.”
The site was also accused of censoring independent media and helping in a wider effort to suppress stories regarding Hunter Biden and his ongoing slew of scandals involving his emails and alleged business dealings with foreign powers.
However, Instagram previously fell foul of Black Lives Matter after it accidentally blocked a plethora of posts relating to the movement because its algorithm mistook them for spam. The site quickly rectified the issue and issued an apology. “We want to be clear that using #blacklivesmatter is supported and celebrated on Instagram, and we are moving quickly to ensure voices using this hashtag are heard,” it said in a statement.
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