Adeel Malik
Tommy Robinson’s official pages have been banned from Facebook and Instragram for violating their “community standards”.
Facebook announced the decision on Tuesday, stating that he had “repeatedly broken these standards, posting material that uses dehumanising language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims”.
Mr Robinson tried to respond to the news in an Instagram story but the account was switched off as he was posting.
He has since insisted he “breached no laws of Facebook”, adding people “will be astonished by this censorship”.
https://www.facebook.com/TOMMYROBINSONWATCH/videos/568864936889323?sfns=mo
The Facebook statement said: “In accordance with our policies, we have removed Tommy Robinson’s official Facebook Page and Instagram profile.
“This is not a decision we take lightly, but individuals and organisations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram.”
Mr Robinson had 163,000 Instagram followers at time of his page being deleted.
The former EDL leader, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had amassed more than one million followers on Facebook where he regular posted live videos and appeals for donations.
I welcome Facebook's decision to remove Tommy Robinson pages under their "Organised Hate" policy. But for far too long this violent thug's hate-spewing, anti-Islamist tirades were given a platform by Facebook. Today's decision comes far too late….https://t.co/s7d2qW69Hm
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) February 26, 2019
The statement from Facebook added: “He has also behaved in ways that violate our policies around organised hate.
“When ideas and opinions cross the line and amount to hate speech that may create an environment of intimidation and exclusion for certain groups in society – in some cases with potentially dangerous offline implications – we take action.”
Mr Robinson was banned from Twitter in March 2018 and removed from PayPal in November.
Tommy Robinson has been banned from Facebook and Instagram.
Calling on your followers to 'make war on Muslims' is hate speech, not free speech.
This is a victory for anti-fascists everywhere. ✊🏿
— Momentum 🌹 (@PeoplesMomentum) February 26, 2019
His last remaining official profile on a mainstream social network is YouTube .
On that platform he has nearly 300,000 subscribers.
The 36-year-old activist said he believes the latest ban is linked to a recent documentary he produced named Panadrama.
He added: “This is in response to my expose documentary called Panadrama, which exposed the establishment working with Hope not Hate, working along with the media, in order to bring me down and destroy me.
Facebook have removed Tommy Robinson's account from their platform. It's a welcome decision. Here's our statement ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/TN6ymbNAyb
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) February 26, 2019
“Now they have realised that that has not worked, they’re working with the tech giants to remove us completely
Where is free speech? I’ve breached no laws of Facebook, everyone is going to know that I’ve breached no rules, what I’ve done is shown people the truth and that is what they are removing, the truth. People will still find me.
“People will be astonished by this censorship, especially witnessing it in response to my expose documentary.”
Following this, chief executive of Hope not Hate Nick Lowles welcomed the decision by Facebook and said Mr Robinson had been “monetising his hatred” while “hiding behind a fake free speech mantle”.
“We welcome today’s decision, as well as Facebook’s continued actions in cleaning up their platform,” he said.
Source: Standard
