Facebook Removes War Hero’s Photo: Amuptee Told ‘Stump’ Photo Was ‘Offensive’
Facebook removed a war hero’s photo that shows him with an amputated leg he lost while serving in Afghanistan. The social network told Corporal Andy Reid that the photo was “offensive.” The Sun reports that Corporal Andy Reid calls Facebook’s move “harsh and narrow-minded.”
The 37-year-old military service member had both legs and one arm blown off while fighting in the war. He served with the 3rd Batallion at Yorkshire Regiment and was on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009 when a landmine caused him to be a triple-amputee.
Reid, who is from St Helens, Merseyside, posted a photo on Facebook with the caption reading, “Hard work on the leg today.” The image can be seen below this article. According to the report, a user complained about the picture, so the social network community removed it.
“What’s the difference between me without my leg on and pictures of what’s going in Gaza?” Reid asks.
The “stump” photo was linked with the Facebook page of Pilgrim Bandits, a charity group that enables injured troops to go on excursions. Spokeswoman of Pilgrim Bandits, Deborah Risbridger, confirms in the report that Facebook removed the war hero’s photo because it was considered “offensive.”
Risbridger explains that Reid is “bemused” by the social network deeming the image inappropriate when other content like beheadings and executions are accessible on the site.
Risbridger says:
‘This is common currency for these guys and it is not remarkable for Andy. When you set it against that backdrop it seems particularly harsh to have it removed.”
Facebook has a system they use that when a user alerts them to something they feel is “offensive” or “explicit,” they run it by the communities team who ultimately decide if the content should be removed.
Facebook did admit Corporal Reid’s photo was eliminated by the “community standards” team. As soon as they were contacted by The Sun, they immediately posted the picture again.
A Facebook spokesperson reasons:
“Our experts work quickly and efficiently to review every report. Occasionally they make a mistake.
“In this case the photograph was incorrectly removed and as soon as we were made aware, we re-published it.”
As Daily Mail reports, Corporal Reid won an award for overcoming adversity at The Sun’s “Millies” in 2010. The war hero also met Queen Elizabeth during at the “Not Forgotten” Association Garden party in 2009.
Facebook has been in the news before for removing photos. This one about the war hero’s amputated leg is just one of many. The Inquisitr wrote one about a mother posting an image of her terminally ill son, which then was banned from the site.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images via Daily Mail]
