Meta has taken down a Facebook protest page after it was revealed to be created by someone impersonating the gunman responsible for the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting.
The page, which had recently surfaced, was reportedly being used to organize protests and spread inflammatory content under the false identity of the convicted killer. It raised immediate alarms among members of the Muslim community and advocates against hate speech, who warned that allowing such impersonations risked glorifying violence and retraumatizing victims’ families.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the removal, stating the account violated the platform’s rules against impersonation and harmful content. The company also reiterated its commitment to improving detection systems to prevent similar incidents.
Community leaders in Quebec condemned the incident, describing it as an unacceptable misuse of social media that undermines public safety and respect for victims. They are calling for stronger regulation of online platforms to stop impersonators and extremists from exploiting social networks.
This is not the first time Meta has come under fire for delayed responses to harmful pages. Critics argue that the company’s monitoring systems remain reactive, relying on user complaints rather than proactive enforcement.
The Quebec City mosque attack in 2017 left six people dead and injured 19 others, marking one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. The shooter was sentenced to life in prison without parole eligibility for 40 years.
For many in the community, Meta’s decision to remove the page was necessary but overdue.
