FOSAV Removed From Facebook – SAVA “Undeterred”

***Statement By SAVA IRO Removal Of FOSAV Group On Facebook***

At 2:17pm South African time today, the Facebook group “Friends of the South African Vampire” was removed by Facebook. According to the message from Facebook, this was because “it violated our Terms of Use. Among other things, groups that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down groups that attack an individual or group, or advertise a product or service.”

There were at the time of removal, no posts in the group in which any social group or individual was threatened or the subject of abusive language of any kind. In fact, there was nothing out of the ordinary that hadn’t been done or seen in that group since it was started in 2011. Currently however, there are no indications whether FOSAV was reported by someone in the group out of spite, or because Facebook admins simply decided to start removing VC groups they didn’t like.

It is the official view of the SAVA that wherever gateways into our community exist, where serious and “seeker” elements co-mingle in a third party environment, there also exists the danger that there will be hostile individuals among those who interact with us. However, given the importance to our community of maintaining such portals, we are determined that the spiteful acts of petty and shortsighted individuals will not deter us.

***End Statement***