A recent investigation by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) uncovered a flurry of Nazi content on Instagram, including pages using hateful imagery to sell Nazi merchandise accessible through Instagram. The presence of this content amidst Meta’s recent policy changes tolerating hate speech and anti-LGBTQ+ content, along with a sweeping transformation in the company’s operations and culture that purposefully align with Project 2025’s authoritarian vision for the online space, is unlikely to be coincidental. Weakening the content moderation policies in some areas and not in others is simply not possible the way Meta claims, particularly when you’re relying on incomplete AI to make the decisions.
Multiple accounts capitalized on the virality of antisemitic posts, including the use of Nazi-era songs available on Instagram, to sell merchandise linked in their profiles, such as t-shirts with the Totenkopf (Death’s Head) symbol used by Hitler’s SS. After GPAHE’s reporting, several posts with explicit Nazi imagery such as the Totenkopf and Black Sun were removed by the platform. Other accounts didn’t explicitly advertise their merchandise, but still linked back to storefronts that sell the hateful items, a violation of Meta’s policies. The account “Whitemen_hub,” which described itself as “pro-white,” a self-identifier used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, that shared a post with over 2,000 likes advocating for the genocide of migrants in the United States, has been completely deplatformed.
In a now-deplatformed post, “european_victory” advertised a shirt with the Totenkopf symbol, which was used by Hitler’s SS. The account linked to a storefront selling the shirt on its profile page. (Source: Instagram)
Several posts made by Rob Primerano (“Rob Primo”) of the Canadian white supremacist movement Diagolon were deplatformed under the “Dangerous organizations and individuals” rule, which prohibits the promotion of terrorist entities and the “glorification, support, and representation” of “hateful ideologies,” which specifically include “Nazism,” “White Supremacy,” “White Nationalism,” and “White Separatism.”
Several of Primerano’s posts advertising the American white supremacist Patriot Front, White Lives Matter (WLM), and the Australian neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN) were all deplatformed. In another deplatformed post, Primerano praised “Elon [Musk] tossing up Romans,” referring to Musk’s gesture (called the “Roman Salute”) at a rally following Trump’s inauguration, which was interpreted by online neo-Nazis as a symbol of support for their genocidal beliefs, saying “HAIL VICTORY” and “Blood & Honor.” Hail Victory is the English translation for “Sieg Heil,” a Nazi slogan. Similarly, “Blood & Honor” (“Blut und Ehre” in German) was popularized by the Nazi Party as a slogan for the Hitler Youth. More recently, Blood & Honor represents a neo-Nazi skinhead group of the same name banned in several countries including Canada, Germany, Russia, and Spain.
Primerano shares a screenshot of some posts taken down by Meta, claiming that he will no longer be “able to go live for 800 days,” referring to users’ ability to livestream directly from Instagram. (Source: Telegram)
Unfortunately, Meta didn’t take every action they could to reduce harmful content on their platform. “european_victory,” which sells Totenkopf shirts through Instagram, still has posts with extreme antisemitism and a link to hateful merchandise available in its profile. For example, a post calling Jews “a criminal people” who are “using the United States as a vehicle to take over the world,” mentioned in our original investigation, is live on the platform. The account now links to a different profile called “wehrmachtofthevolk,” named after the military unit of Nazi Germany, which started posting on February 8. Meta also failed to deplatform a post in Spanish which claims of a “Semitic Aristocracy” (i.e., Jews) who plan to “destroy Europe.”
A post with almost 30,000 likes calling Jews a “criminal people” and accusing them of “using the United States as a vehicle to take over the world” is still live on the platform. The “beverage box” emoji is colloquially referred to as “juice,” or “Jews” in white supremacist circles (Source: Instagram)
An account called “political_soldier,” also mentioned in GPAHE’s original reporting, seemingly dedicated to sharing content associated with the Australian neo-Nazi National Socialist Network remains live on the platform, and still links to the organization’s Telegram page. Only two posts, one featuring Australian neo-Nazi Jacob Hersant, and another advertising several transnational neo-Nazi groups like Active Clubs, German neo-Nazi group Der III Weg (The Third Way), and Patriot Front were de-platformed. A video featuring neo-Nazi Joel Davis remains live.
Four audio samples of Erika, a song associated with Nazi armed forces during World War II and used by several accounts pushing antisemitic and neo-Nazi drivel found by GPAHE, have been removed. However, a renewed search shows another rendition, titled Erika (German Soldier Love Song), available on the platform which already appears in over 15,000 reels.
In Instagram’s “Audio” tab, several versions of Erika have been removed, but a new search shows another audio clip used in over 15,000 reels (Source: Instagram)
Meta’s rules on hateful conduct and the proliferation of Dangerous Organizations and Individuals are clear. Conspiratorial antisemitism, dehumanizing speech, the glorification of hate groups and hateful ideologies, should all be prohibited from the platform. Specifically, weakening policies meant to protect the LGBTQ+ community, women, Black people, immigrants, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups, only contributes to Meta’s reluctance to enforce their own policies, even when blatant violations are called to their attention, like with GPAHE reporting, further entrenching their shift towards an internal culture revolution favoring hatred and authoritarianism.
