Tommy Robinson: YouTube under pressure to join Facebook and Instagram in banning far-right activist

Google-owned website only major social media platform far-right leader able to still use

YouTube has come under pressure to ban the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, after it was left as the only major social media platform the former EDL leader could still use.

The chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Damian Collins, said on Wednesday he thought the video sharing giant should follow Facebook’s lead in barring Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

“His YouTube channel has hundreds of thousands of followers and includes films viewed by millions of people,” Mr Collins said.

"Far-right groups are exploiting social media to spread their messages of hate, and the YouTube next up feature helps them by directing viewers to even more of this content once, as soon as, they start to engage with it.

"I believe YouTube should also ban Tommy Robinson from their platform.”

On Tuesday, Facebook and Instagram announced the activist had been permanently banned for posting content which “violate our policies around organised hate”.

A Facebook spokesman said Robinson’s page had repeatedly used “dehumanising language” and urged violence against Muslims.

The decision came after the tech firm issued a final written warning to administrators of Robinson’s account on 24 January, over posts including one “calling Muslims filthy scumbags” and “calling on people to ‘make war’ on Muslims”.

His Twitter account was also blocked in March last year, leaving Google-owned YouTube as the only mainstream platform he was still able to use.

The video-sharing website’s policy on hate speech prohibits content which promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes including religion, race, immigration status or nationality.

In response to the growing furore, 36-year-old Robinson posted a lengthy video on YouTube in which he ranted about conspiracies to silence him, attacked the BBC and campaign group Hope not Hate, and insisted his activism would continue even if YouTube deleted his account.

“You thought deleting us from Twitter would stop us – it didn’t,” he said during the 16-minute clip.

“You thought removing our PayPal would stop us. It affected us, they stopped our donations by 70 per cent. Did it stop us? No it didn’t. If you think deleting us from Facebook or Instagram will stop us… no it won’t.”

As well as losing the ability to fundraise through PayPal, in January Mr Robinson lost a valuable revenue stream when YouTube suspended all adverts on his channel.

He also said he was considering organising a demonstration against tech companies with other far-right personalities who have been banned, and personally appealed to Donald Trump for help.

“Donald Trump – if you don’t step in now, the platforms and the voices that share the truth of what they are doing are being removed across the world. People have to speak now.”

The Independent has contacted Google for comment.