A Facebook group boasting more than 33,000 members run by popular Australian YouTuber Friendlyjordies has finally been banned — for having a picture of Adolf Hitler. Friendlyjordies’ videos have been watched more than 130 million times.
After starting out making parody videos, Friendlyjordies — real name Jordan Shanks — has become increasingly political in his content over the years, culminating last year in the production of multiple videos criticising the conduct of NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, who has subsequently launched defamation proceedings against the YouTuber.
Facebook confirmed to Crikey that the Friendlyjordies-affiliated Common Sense Brigade Facebook group was removed for repeatedly breaking the platform’s rules. It was not related to the arrest this month of Friendjordies producer Kristo Langker for allegedly stalking and intimidating Barilaro.
“Over the last year, we have introduced a number of measures to make groups safer, and group admins and members more accountable. This group was removed from Facebook as the admins repeatedly approved posts that violate our community standards,” a Facebook company spokesperson told Crikey via email.
Facebook representatives would not provide any more on-the-record comments about what led to the banning but Crikey understands that members of the group had shared content that broke Facebook’s policies regarding adult nudity and sexual activity, hate speech and sexual exploitation of adults , which were approved by the group’s administrators.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was an image of Hitler posted to the group that violated the company’s organised hate policy. Facebook groups that repeatedly violate the company’s policies are automatically removed.
Shanks set up Common Sense Brigade towards the end of 2020 with an explicit intention of spreading anti-Coalition and pro-Labor Party memes online.
During Facebook’s brief news ban for Australian users, Shanks instructed the group’s members to set up local Facebook community groups to covertly share pro-ALP content to “counter the effects of the Murdoch press” without disclosing their purpose.
The community was also a space for members to share news and memes about Australian politics, a common purpose for Facebook groups. Members had posted satirical images of Barilaro (along with other political figures) Photoshopped as dictators, including Hitler.
In other policies, Facebook acknowledges that satirical content is treated differently — but seemingly not here.
It is unknown exactly what the offending post was, but Crikey has seen at least one image of Barilaro Photoshopped into a photo of Hitler and Benito Mussolini, which was posted hours before the group was banned.
Shanks and his team didn’t respond to questions about Facebook’s decision.
Online groups such as the Common Sense Brigade have become influential conduits of information on the internet. With just a few thousand active members, these groups can run calls-to-action to amplify news, undermine public narratives and inundate companies, organisations and individuals with internet activity.
(Sometimes, this is used to harass, like when Common Sense Brigades invaded and took over a Young Greens-run server for the videogame Minecraft and left a burning swastika. Shanks told Crikey that he disavowed the swastika and believed that it was done by people not affiliated with the group).
In an internet that is responsive to users’ interactions, groups like Common Sense Brigade have power by acting as a way to coordinate groups to achieve a goal. That said, they operate well within the rules of their social media platforms.
In the aftermath of the group’s banning, Shanks’ fans are finding other spaces to regroup. Several state-based Common Sense Brigade groups are still available and continue to grow into thousands of members. Another group on Facebook called “Exodus” was created by former Common Sense Brigade members, while the Friendlyjordies Discord server has also been revitalised.
Meanwhile, fans are literally taking to the streets to spread their message, as flyers calling for the immediate removal of John Barlilaro were handed out in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall on Tuesday.
Barilaro, Porter, Dutton, all taking or threatening to take legal action – and this is after Morrison’s vague comments about the lurking dangers of social media, that he keeps on tossing into the conversation.
Is this part of a concerted effort to crack down on an area of the media that the Libs are finding hard to control, and damaging?
Making examples of a few individuals, to scare the dissenters….hey, ain’t that the China strategy with Australia? Oh Scotty, who says you can’t learn new things?
Definitely, agree, if they cannot control the non mainstream messaging then silence it, but it is a draconian and autocratic approach which contradicts their supposed libertarian need for ‘freedom of speech’, even if it hurts somebody’s feelings….. (aka former AG Brandis).
It’s a technique commonly observed by regimes in Russia, Hungary, Poland, Turkey etc. to deal with independent media that neither complies nor agrees with white Christian nationalist agitprop masquerading as policy…….
Of late MWM and Menadue’s P&S have been compelled to remove reader comments due to the risk of unaffordable and/or often mischievous legal action by powers that be; how good is Australia?
I was waiting to see what Crikey would say about the arrest of Langker. Buried in an article about how his fans are cringe. Lovely.
Well, Shanks’s operation is guilty of two unforgivable crimes. The petty one of raising the hereabouts-awks matter of certain historical sexual harassment allegations, and the huge one of being exactly the sort of authentically disruptive, gutsy progressive alt. meeja outfit that adorns the Crikey/Beecher sift pap prog fantasy mirror.
As with the mainstream meeja’s ambivalence towards Assange, so too here: it boils down to jealousy, essentially. Doesn’t make Crikey bad. Just nowhere near as good as FJ.
Really..Why don’t we discuss why FJ’S own team/manager quit a while ago..seems some people can’t handle the truth about his ego ..he’s not perfect ..stop being so obsessed with him.. He still doesn’t deserve to be treated in this manner and I will defend his right to be a tosser. lol
Gutless, envious and inimical to real change.
Yep, echo the sentiment re: Crikey’s lack of commentary around the arrest.
Disappointing that this is the only Crikey coverage of the storm around friendlyjordies at the moment.
Agree with many posters here. Crikey needs to start making more noise about this. Why doesn’t anybody follow up on any of the points FJ brings up?
After jordies’ response to Cky naming him the a—hat of the year, I’m surprised they’re daring to report anything at all!
That award last year was a bizarre decision. Cky admitted that jordies’ supporters had “played” them, so why didn’t they just declare the poll result invalid? All the award did was supply yet more evidence (as if any was required), that FJ’s media output has way more reach than Cky – by about half a million views!
And Cky must have known that FJ would respond. Every time he feels “attacked” Jordie responds by going ballistic. While his incendiary attacks on most other media (The SMH, News Corp, The Brag, Vice, the ABC, Junkee, Joe Hilderbrand at the Tele and on and on) may be “entertaining” (if you like you undisciplined tirades laced with savage wit), that does mean he will have few friends in the media – now that he needs them.
The Tele had another attack piece on him today. Their targets were ultimately the Labor Party which jordies supports, but the left wing comedian may well have meet his match now that Barilaro has launched his defo (which he’ll probably win), AND (this is incredible when you think about it) used a counter terrorism task force to arrest a jordies employee.
In a police state, dissent can be beaten – thats’ one of jordies’ points. It would be a pity though, if Cky now joins in the attack. Hopefully it will continue to do straight and fair reports – as this one (mostly) was.
There’s too much smoke around Barilaro for there not to be a fire. He behaves like a crook & Newscorp papers won’t say a word against him so there is a need for someone like friendlyjordies to counteract it.
That being said, I was told years ago that if you needed Hitler to illustrate/amplify/prove your point, you’ve already lost the argument.