YouTube places restrictions on Tommy Robinson’s channel

YouTube has placed a series of restrictions on the channel of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The clampdown limits one of his key platforms of communication with his supporters, and comes after he was banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The YouTube restrictions mean his videos have been removed from search results and he can no longer live-stream to the platform.

Robinson’s channel has more than 387,000 subscribers and his clips have had more than 24,000,000 views.

The restrictions mean his videos will no longer have view counts, suggested videos, likes or comments.

Google-owned YouTube has also put in place an “interstitial” slate before his clips warning: “The following content has been identified by the YouTube community as inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.”

The move comes after YouTube removed adverts from Robinson’s videos in January.

This stopped the former leader of the English Defence League, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, from making money from his clips.

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson wrote to Google’s chief executive Sundar Pinchai in March, calling on him to remove Robinson’s YouTube page as a “matter of urgency”.

He wrote: “I would ask that you immediately close down all of Yaxley-Lennon’s sites on YouTube before the virus of his views grooms countless more followers via your platform.”

A YouTube spokesperson said the restrictions have been put in place after consulting outside experts and academics about the type of content appearing on his channel.

The company said in a statement: “After consulting with third party experts, we are applying a tougher treatment to Tommy Robinson’s channel in keeping with out policies on borderline content.

“The content will be placed behind an interstitial, removed from recommendations, and stripped of key features including live-streaming, comments, suggested videos and likes.”

Robinson, widely regarded as an anti-Islam activist, was banned from Facebook in February for posting material calling for violence against Muslims, the social media giant said.

The company, which also banned him from its Instagram app, said the campaigner has “posted material that uses dehumanising language” and “in ways that violate our policies around organised hate”.

Robinson’s Twitter account was suspended in March 2018 after he violated the platform’s policies on “hateful conduct”.

It is not known what triggered the suspension.

Robinson told Sky News last year that he doesn’t care whether his message his “incites fear” of Muslims as long as it “prevents children from getting raped”.

Sky News has contacted YouTube for a comment.

(c) Sky News 2019: YouTube places restrictions on Tommy Robinson’s channel