ISSF calls for help from fraternity after Facebook deletes its page

PTI, Nov 6, 2020, 1:53 PM IST

New Delhi: The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) says it is experiencing an “unpleasant situation” as social networking site Facebook has deleted the global body’s page from its platform without any intimation.

This has prompted the ISSF to start a campaign ‘#unblock_ISSF_facebook’.

Besides Twitter and Instagram, shooters from across the world rely on the ISSF Facebook page for updates from the sport’s governing body. The page was created on January 14, 2010.

“An unpleasant situation happened yesterday, and Facebook has deleted the ISSF page from the social network without reason or warning,” shooting’s apex body said in a statement on Thursday. “At the moment, we are looking into what happened and stay with you on the official website, Instagram and Twitter. We kindly ask you to support us and show the same activity, which you showed in the mask contest.”

The ISSF urged the shooting fraternity to come together and show solidarity in its bid to get Facebook to reverse its decision.

“We kindly ask you to support us…please use the hashtag #unblock_ISSF_facebook for our support,” the ISSF said.

The ISSF is headquartered in Munich.

While the reason for shooting down the page is not known, Facebook has a stringent policy on firearms. As per their regulations, the social networking giant prohibits “advertisements promoting the brandishing of firearms.”