Facebook Ville de Bitche removal

Ville de Bitche is a fortress town of 5,000+ people in the Moselle department of north-eastern France, close to the border with Germany. 

In March 2021, the town’s official Facebook page - titled Ville de Bitche - was suddenly removed without explanation.

Per Politico, Bitche communications official Valérie Degouy told Radio Mélodie that she appealed the decision the same day the town's page was taken down, but had not heard back from Facebook.

'I tried to reach out to Facebook in every possible way, through different forms, but there's nothing [I could] do,' she said.

Facebook reinstated the page and apologised, telling CNN it was 'removed in error.'

In a press statement released after the incident, Mayor of Bitche Benoît Kieffer urged Facebook to be more transparent and fair in how it makes content moderation decisions.