Why does #SherylSandberg allow #Facebook to make money from fascism?

I recently wrote about Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, Lean In.

Sandberg, who is now COO of Facebook, is an articulate advocate of more women in the boardroom.

The book impressed me, as did a talk she gave to TED in 2010. It chimes with some of the themes I dealt with in my own book Cruel Sister, and in subsequent interviews.

Imagine my surprise when yesterday, while browsing my own Facebook page, an advertisement appeared for the New British Union, with a link to their website. If you don’t know them, they are a fascist group who are trying to resurrect Oswald Mosley’s pre-war British Union of Fascists.

I won’t trouble you with Mosley’s whole life history, but if you want an idea, he married his mistress Diana Guinness (née Mitford) in the home of Joseph Goebbels, and Adolf Hitler was one of the guests.

I was stunned, how could Facebook accept advertising from people like this?

According to Facebook, Sandberg oversees the firm’s business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications. She is credited with making Facebook more reliant on advertising for its income.

There is a lively debate around what kind of things social media sites should or should not include. The New British Union does have a Facebook page, and some might say it would be a denial of freedom of speech if they did not.

Advertising however, is absolutely different. All media, without exception, have strict rules about the advertising they carry. For Facebook to make money out of fascism is outrageous.

If Sandberg wants us to take her seriously as an advocate of human rights, then she should stop taking money from people who hold them in contempt.