Wiley banned from Facebook and Instagram over antisemitic posts

Artist has been widely condemned for posting a string of antisemitic messages on Twitter

Grime artist Wiley has been banned from Facebook and Instagram.

The news comes after an account purportedly belonging to the rapper, real name Richard Cowie, posted messages about some of his Jewish critics.

Cowie was recently condemned for a series of antisemitic posts on Twitter and Instagram, including one which compared Jewish people to the Ku Klux Klan.

An unverified Facebook account, listed under the name Richard Kylea Cowie, made reference to several Jewish celebrities, including Lord Alan Sugar, BBC presenter Emma Barnett and comedian David Baddiel, all of whom had criticised the rapper’s words.

One Facebook post read, ”Emma Barnett get me on your show,” while another read, ”David Baddiel come and talk to me to my face... Let’s talk.”

Another post reportedly referred to Golders Green, an area of London known for its Jewish community.

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: “There is no place for hate speech on Facebook and Instagram. After initially placing Wiley’s accounts in a seven day block, we have now removed both his Facebook and Instagram accounts for repeated violations of our policies.”

His official verified account was also removed, along with his Instagram profile. He had already been suspended from Twitter as a result of the offensive statements, and his management company, A-list Management, had severed ties with him.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Cowie’s previous remarks “abhorrent”, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews had called on Facebook to ban Cowie from the platform.

Prior to Facebook’s ban, Marie van der Zyl, Board of Deputies president, said: “We are aware that Richard Cowie - AKA Wiley – has continued his obsessive targeting of the Jewish community on Facebook, now that Twitter and Instagram are closed off to him.

“We have raised his conduct with Facebook as a matter of urgency and have stressed in the strongest possible terms that they should remove him from their platform as well. We are in additional talks with Twitter to urge them to delete Wiley’s account, especially as he has made it clear on Facebook that when he gets back on Twitter he intends to exhibit even worse behaviour.”