Popular Facebook page Blackfulla Revolution has been deleted by suspected hackers, devastating the page administrators and community.
The page that had been up for seven years was the pride and joy for admin Dei Phillips for five years. Facebook has confirmed the deletion is irreversible.
“I have been crying all morning,” Ms Phillips told NITV News.
“I’m just devastated and I have been trying to figure out a way to start it all over again.”
Ms Phillips said that over the past 5 years she had dedicated herself to the page, spending at least 3 to 4 hours carefully selecting content to put up. This was on top of work and caring for her young family.
But now, she has had to start over, losing the 160,000 ‘likes’ they had from Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members from all corners of the globe.
“It’s important to connect Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people so we can connect and help each other,” Ms Phillips said of Blackfulla Revolution.
“And for people who don’t understand what’s going on in this country, why we fight for what we fight for, why we say the things we say, why we feel the way we feel about how this country is run.”
Ms Phillips now has a new page up and running, and invites those on Facebook, regardless of their background, to ‘like’ the new Blackfulla Revolution page.
“I think it’s important because it gives not only Blackfullas, but non-Indigenous Australians, a space to be safe to say what they want to say and look for support, and for non-Indigenous Australians to give support.”
“It’s important to have a space to have people educated about why we are who we are.”
This is not the first time an Indigenous-run Facebook page has gone offline. In 2017, Carly Wallace was also left devastated after Facebook deleted her Indigenous comedy page 'Cjay's Vines', which had several videos, memes and photos drawing light to Aboriginal culture, for reportedly not ‘following’ the ‘Facebook Community Standards’.
RELATED CONTENT
Internet Star CJay's Vines removed from Facebook
