Facebook orders Andy Reid to take down 'offensive' picture of stump
18/08/2014
Facebook orders war hero who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan to remove picture of his 'offensive' stump.
Facebook orders war hero who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan to remove picture of his 'offensive' stump
- Andy Reid, 37, lost two legs and an arm serving in Afghanistan in 2009
- Posted a photo of his stump with the message 'hard work on the legs today'
- Site's community team removed the photo because it was 'offensive'
- Facebook said the removal was a 'mistake' and re-uploaded the photo
A war hero who lost both legs and an arm while serving in Afghanistan has called Facebook 'harsh and narrow-minded' after they removed a picture of one of his stumps because it was 'offensive'.
Former Corporal Andy Reid, 37, from St Helens, Merseyside became a triple-amputee when a landmine exploded while he was on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009.
The father-of-one posted the picture of his stump with the caption 'hard work on the legs today'.
Andy Reid, 37, from St Helens, Merseyside, (pictured right at Camp Bastion in 2009) said the decision by Facebook to remove the photo of the stump was 'harsh and narrow-minded'
But it was taken down by the social media's site communities team after a user complained about it.
The site removed the innocent image, despite the fact it does not ban violent clips, including beheadings.
He told The Sun: 'It's just a picture of my leg at the end of the day. What's offensive about it?
'This is nowhere near as offensive as some of the pictures spreading from Islamic State fighters.
'What's the difference between me without my leg on and pictures of what's going in Gaza?
Corporal Reid who served with 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said he posted the picture to show people what it is like to live as an amputee.
The photo was linked to the Facebook page of Pilgrim Bandits, a charity that takes injured troops on excursions.
Deborah Risbridger, a spokesman for the group, confirmed that Facebook had taken it down because it was deemed 'offensive'.
Corporal Reid talks to Prince Charles after winning the overcoming adversity award at the 'Millies' in 2010
Corporal Reid stepped on a landmine whilst out on patrol in Helmand Province in October 2009
She said she was 'bemused' by the decision, considering some of the content readily available on the site, including images of beheadings and executions.
'This is common currency for these guys and it is not remarkable for Andy,' she added. 'When you set it against that backdrop it seems particularly harsh to have it removed.'
Facebook operate a system where a user can 'report' content if they believe it is explicit or offensive.
This is then flagged up to their communities team who then decide whether it should be removed.
The site have admitted Corporal Reid's picture had been deleted by the 'community standards' team - however it was re-published when the newspaper contacted them.
A spokesman said: '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.'
Corporal Reid won an award for overcoming adversity at The Sun's 'Millies' in 2010. He also met the Queen during a 'Not Forgotten' Association Garden party in 2009.
The father-of-one posted the picture (right) of his 'stump' with the caption 'hard work on the legs today'.
The hero was introduced to the Queen at the 'Not Forgotten' Association Garden Party in 2009
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