Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has had his Facebook and Instagram accounts banned.
English Defence League (EDL) leader and right-wing activist Tommy Robinson has had his official Facebook and Instagram accounts banned, following a breach of their rules.
Facebook said that he broke rules that ban public calls for violence against people based on protected characteristics; rules that ban supporting or appearing with organised hate groups, and policies that prevent people from using the site to bully others.
The social media giant released a lengthy statement to explain their decision, which they said “they do not take lightly”.
You can read their statement in full here:
“One of the biggest questions we face is around what we allow on Facebook – and we spend a lot of time trying to get this right. This is hard and critically important.
“We want Facebook to be a place where you can express yourself freely and share openly with friends and family. At the same time, when people come to Facebook we always want them to feel welcome and safe.
“This is something we take incredibly seriously. So 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.
“Our public Community Standards state this sort of speech is not acceptable on Facebook – and when we become aware of it, we remove it as quickly as we can.
“Our rules also make clear that individuals and organizations that are engaged in “organized hate” are not allowed on the platform, and that praise or support for these figures and groups is also banned. This is true regardless of the ideology they espouse.
“Tommy Robinson’s Facebook Page has repeatedly broken these standards, posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims.
“He has also behaved in ways that violate our policies around organized hate. As a result, 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 organizations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram.”
A video recently emerged of Robinson spouting racist abuse and boasting about drug use while on holidays.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc
