YouTube defends decision to keep Tommy Robinson on app – days after Facebook and Instagram ban EDL founder
Robinson has 350,000 YouTube subscribers
YOUTUBE has defended its decision to keep controversial activist Tommy Robinson on its site.
The far-right activist was banned from both Facebook and Instagram last week, but YouTube argues his video content is fundamentally different from his social media posts.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also had his book "Mohammed’s Koran: Why Muslims Kill For Islam" removed from Amazon last week.
Sites banning the English Defence League (EDL) founder have cited rules on hate speech or inappropriate content.
YouTube policies ban content "promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups" based on religion.
But in videos posted to the site, Robinson does not break that rule, YouTube said.
Robinson posts live streams once or twice a week to the site, where he has a following of nearly 350,000 subscribers.
YouTube "demonetised" his videos in January – meaning the 36-year-old can't generate ad revenue off of them.
But the site still makes cash off the clips via a feature that lets users pay to have their comments highlighted in live comments threads.
In a recent video, Robinson noted that he had closely followed YouTube rules to avoid receiving a "strike" on the site.
"My YouTube account has zero community strikes, and zero copyright strikes," he said.
"I’ve done nothing and said nothing wrong."
YouTube was not immediately available for further comment.
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Earlier this week, a Syrian schoolboy's family threatened to sue Robinson over a video he posted online about the bullied child.
The scandal-hit activist boasted about scoring drugs and used racist slurs in a foul-mouthed video rant last month.
Do you think Robinson should remain on YouTube? Let us know in the comments!
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