Did state Rep. Brian Sims delete Facebook comments critical of him posing with the Israeli military?

Recently, state Rep. Brian Sims, Democratic darling of progressives in Philly and nationwide, accepted an invitation to visit Israel. Organized by the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the trip was paid for by Sims himself, he says.

Throughout the trip, Sims posted pictures of his journey to his verified Facebook account. His largest presence on the social media site, that account is a mixture of political, personal, and what look like – but technically aren't – official postings. It has over 116,000 fans, and the contact information on that account directs to Sims' political, unofficial activities like fundraising.

On that account, Sims interacts regularly with constituents, activists, and fans who leave comments. And, some of those fans say that their recent comments critical of Sims posing with the Israeli military are now mysteriously missing.

When Sims posted pictures of his trip to Israel on his Facebook page, he included photographs of local landmarks, like the historic commercial corridor along Ben Yehuda Street. 

The picture that drew the most consternation and debate, however, was a picture Sims took posing with soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces. Posting the photograph, Sims used Facebook's location services and checked-in at the "Gaza Strip."

"Studying the Iron Dome, Israel's missile defense network, along the Gaza Strip," Sims posted. "These soldiers are all 19 years old."

Over 1,000 people liked that particular set of photographs and scores of mostly supportive comments ensued. There were many other comments, however, critical of Israeli defense policy. And, those comments are now apparently missing.

"I was disappointed to see that [Sims] was posing with IDF soldiers and labelled the location as 'Gaza,'" says activist Michael Carr to City Paper. Carr, an openly gay man, has been a longtime fan of Sims and his assertive stance on LGBT rights. He says that, despite having moved away from the area, he follows Sims online.

Citing military actions that have resulted in civilian deaths in Gaza, Carr says that his "initial reaction was that [the IDF] picture made my stomach turn."

So, Carr commented, "I'm very disappointed to see this. You've lost support from this Philly area born and raised gay man who cares about human rights." That comment is now missing.

"A lot of deleted/missing comments," added another commenter later.

City Paper talked with several other commenters in the thread, and they acknolwedge multiple comments, not just Carr's, having disappeared. The only thing shared by the missing comments is that they were all critical of Israeli defense policy or Sims posing with the IDF, observers say.

Carr says he made several comments throughout the day, none of which were profane or harassing and all of which were subsequently, and Carr says swiftly, deleted. He provided screenshots of some of the comments to City Paper. Those comments, along with several others all critical of the post, no longer appear in any of Sims' posts.

"I also commented that he should consider how such a picture would alienate certain supporters and could even be triggering for folks who have experienced violence at the hands of people who wear that uniform," Carr goes on. That comment, too, is now missing.

He says that despite Sims' assertion that the trip was for educational, not political, purposes, he doesn't buy it.

"Standing with IDF soldiers in a location labeled 'Gaza' is not a neutral statement," Carr says. With that in mind, he felt compelled to express his First Amendment rights and is astonished at the puzzling apparent censorship.

In the past, Carr insists he's only interacted positively with Sims on Facebook, saying that there were never any "terse or adversarial" exchanges. "I supported and 'liked' his posts," Carr explains. "I am upset and feel that I am being silenced. I said nothing profane or nasty. I just voiced my concerns and reacted to a controversial picture."

City Paper reached out to Sims and his office to see if those comments were actively deleted and who might've deleted them – and why – but has not received a response. Michael Carr, though, has a theory on what happened.

"I think they deleted the comments because they may have embarrassed him," Carr muses. By "they," he says he means Sims or his staff. The comments "either embarrassed him in front of progressives or in front of Israel supporters."

Still, Carr says this response is nothing new in general.

"As a Palestine solidarity activist, I feel that my voice is ways censored – even in progressive circles," Carr concludes, "and sadly have become accustomed to it."