A Manhattan accountant is taking on LinkedIn in a lawsuit that alleges antisemitic bias and unjust censorship of pro-Israel content.
At a Glance
- Marc J. Strohl, a CPA with 14,000 LinkedIn followers, is suing the platform for banning his account
- Strohl claims LinkedIn ignored his reports of antisemitic content while censoring his pro-Israel posts
- The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and the reinstatement of Strohl’s account
- Strohl compares LinkedIn’s actions to Nazi-era exclusion of Jews from public life
Lawsuit Alleges Selective Censorship
Marc J. Strohl, a Manhattan-based certified public accountant, has filed a lawsuit against LinkedIn, accusing the professional networking platform of antisemitic bias and unjust censorship. Strohl, who had amassed approximately 14,000 followers on LinkedIn, claims his account was banned after he posted pro-Israel content and spoke out against antisemitism.
“Most of the reports I filed against people [whose comments] were abusive to the point of hate speech,” Strohl said.
According to the lawsuit, Strohl frequently reported antisemitic posts on LinkedIn, including those praising Hamas and glorifying Nazis. However, he alleges that LinkedIn took no action on his reports while simultaneously targeting his pro-Israel expressions.
Account Suspension and Permanent Ban
Strohl’s LinkedIn account reportedly faced two suspensions in 2024 before being permanently banned in October without explanation. The lawsuit contends that Strohl was subjected to harsher standards than Muslim, Arab, or “pro-Palestine” accounts on the platform.
“It’s a selective double standard that permits antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda to flourish while chilling speech and silencing Jewish and Israeli voices just as they did in Germany in the 1930s,” Ava Zelenetsky, Strohl’s lawyer, said.
Strohl, who lost relatives in both the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack, draws a stark comparison between LinkedIn’s actions and historical antisemitism.
“The Nazis engaged in similar such behavior in Germany in the 1930s of excluding Jews from public places and from businesses,” he stated.
Implications for Free Speech and Business
The lawsuit highlights broader concerns about content moderation on social media platforms and its impact on free speech. Strohl argues that his ban has not only silenced his voice but also harmed his reputation and business, affecting referrals from LinkedIn.
Strohl attributes part of the issue to LinkedIn outsourcing content moderation to countries with histories of antisemitism. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and, crucially, the reinstatement of Strohl’s LinkedIn account.
