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Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has urged Youtube to “reconsider their judgment” over hosting Tommy Robinson videos after Labour deputy leader Tom Watson called for them to be removed.
Watson said every other major social media platform has taken down the content from Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, because “of his hateful conduct”.
He told the House of Commons that the right-wing activist had been “banging on the door of a journalist” late at night this week, and after being led away by police returned at 5am “and continued his intimidation”.
Watson said the encounter was being live-streamed, and that Robinson later warned in a Youtube video that the journalist should “expect a knock at the door”, asking if Wright thought it “right that Youtube continues to give this man a platform”.
The journalist Mike Stuchbery has complained to police about the incident and has thanked Watson for speaking about his case in Parliament.
Writing about the incident for The Independent on Tuesday, Stuchbery said: “As I called the police, [Robinson] wailed and raved, claiming that I had placed his family in danger, scared his children, conspired with others to try to bring him down. He said he’d be back every night, that he had a list of journalists he would ‘expose’ too.”
The Cabinet minister said we all believe in freedom of speech, but added: “We all believe that that freedom of speech has limits.
“And we believe that those who seek to intimidate others, those that seek to potentially break the law, because the description he’s given the house this morning is potentially a description of criminal behaviour, that is unacceptable.
“That is beyond the reach of the type of freedom of speech that we believe should be protected. And, as I have said, all internet companies, all platforms for this kind of speech need to take their responsibilities seriously.”
Speaking about Robinson’s profile, he added: “I hope Youtube will consider this very carefully, consider what he has said, what I have said, and reconsider their judgment”.
Watson welcomed the comments, and asked if the forthcoming White Paper on internet safety would include provisions to: “Stop hate figures, extremists and their followers turning the online world into a cesspit of hate?”
Wright replied: “No freedom of speech can survive in this country if we do not protect people’s ability to feel free to say what they think, free of intimidation, free of the threat of violence.”
Picture: Reuters/Henry Nicholls
Strategic Communications Manager (Education and Students), Oxford University
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Thanks Mr. Watson, for apparently showing me who the real fascists are, and the lengths by which they are prepared to go to in order to suffocate dissent.
I am quite frankly disgusted by your actions against Robinson. You claim it was a personal action? Well, that makes it all the worse as far as I’m concerned. Your ‘personal’ action – reportedly written on official heading – de-platformed and de-funded your targeted, political opponent. Perhaps you should be reminded that this country went to war a few decades back, a world war, because other so-called leaders also, wanted to shut people up.
By all means, please continue to try and legitamize your actions. Continue to refer to the other platforms that all coincidentally decided to act at the same time..continue to refer to the reasons that have at best, been riddled in ambiguity. Continue to attack your opponents for the crime of thought and continue to watch your support base get lower, and lower, until finally people can see what this is really about.
It’s not about protecting people from assumed hate, is it, Mr. Watson? It’s about destroying fundamental rights and freedoms this country fought hard to maintain and protect, and for good reason.
VERY few thinks make me ashamed to be British – YOUR actions are such. I am shocked, sickened and disgusted that this country could stoop so low and your action is literally the final nail in the coffin of any vote I intended to send you or your parties way until such a time as you emerge from your glass house – from within which you continue to throw stones – and redress the abhorrent wrongs you have done.
I’ve listened to Mr. Robinson. I don’t agree with everything he says. But he has a God-damn right his political view and Islam is not above question, criticism and debate. Have you read the feedback on your own social media platforms? There is a groundswell of overt condemnation even from your long-standing supporters, because they know this goes way beyond your personal issues. This affects everyone.
I think that deep down inside, we both know you got Tommy Robinson banned because freedom and political discourse are you sworn enemy.
You talk about division. Look in the mirror. People like you in power, riding rough-shot over other people’s right to disagree makes me wonder what kind of country this is turning into. You fear debate, and you dear dissent, and my support of your party and its policies has, directly on account of your attitude and actions, all but disappeared. It did not work for the likes of Hitler and it won’t work for you.
Have a fantastic day.
Tommy Robinson is being awarded The Free Press Society’s 2019 Sappho award — the award for the world’s most important defender of free speech!