Facebook has turned down a plea by British Prime Minister David Cameron for the removal of a webpage paying tribute to gunman Raoul Moat on the social networking site.
Moat, a former convict, had gone on a killing spree in the quiet region of Newcastle in July.
He had shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, her new partner Chris Brown and police officer David Rathband. Brown was killed, Stobbart was critically injured and Rathband was blinded in the attack.
Moat killed himself during a stand-off after the police launched a massive man-hunt for him.
He was nicknamed the 'most notorious fugitive in Britain' by certain sections of the press. After his death, a webpage called 'RIP Raoul Moat You Legend' has cropped up on Facebook and attracted nearly 30,000 followers. They hailed Moat as a hero, a legend and paid extensive tributes to his life.
Most of the followers on the webpage have expressed their support for Moat's actions, declaring that he was justified in attacking his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend. They also cheered him for blinding a policeman and wished that he had killed more people.
Cameron took the unprecedented step of asking 10, Downing Street to contact Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg and request him to remove the offensive webpage.
But Facebook has turned down the UK PM's request. In a statement, the popular site said, "Facebook is a place where people can express their views and discuss things in an open way as they can and do in many other places, and as such we sometimes find people discussing topics others may find distasteful."
"However, that is not a reason in itself to stop a debate from happening. We have 26 million people on Facebook in the UK, each of which has their own opinion, and they are entitled to express their views on Facebook as long as their comments do not violate our terms," it said.
The networking site went a step further and claimed that the "page could actually help people deal with their opinions on such a controversial topic".
Reacting to Facebook's refusal, a furious Cameron called Moat a 'callous murderer' in Parliament.
"There should be sympathy for his victims and for the havoc he wreaked in that community. There should be no sympathy for him," he said.
Image: Raoul Thomas Moat is seen entering a shop on July 2 | Photograph: Reuters
