First, whether you like React or not, it's hard to argue that the most popular JavaScript framework is "just smoke and mirrors". It might be great PR, but there's also a lot of substance to it.

Second, even if publiccode.eu doesn't help Facebook in any way, that's not evidence that they have motive to intentionally block it. You'd have to demonstrate that they have some reason to want the initiative to fail, not just claim they don't care.

Does metabook create government related software? I can understand such behaviour from Microsoft, not sure what the motivation would be for FB

Workplace from Meta is not targeted specifically for governments, but are used by government orgs I've worked at.

“open source software from bigco it's only a smoke and mirrors to make it look like they are nice.”

So the React ecosystem is smoke and mirrors? GraphQL?

I mean... yes. This is the case with Microsoft, Apple, Google and pretty much anyone else on the Fortune 500 that owns a software stack. I still find it hard to believe Facebook would go out of their way to intentionally flag random political articles for seemingly minimal gain.