Tommy Robinson has been banned from the social media giant's platforms for violating "community standards" by promoting "organized hate." Robinson said removing his pages was tantamount to "removing the truth."
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Facebook has taken harsh measures against British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, banning him from its platforms and closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile.
Robinson is said to have violated Facebook's "community standards" by promoting "organized hate" and other prohibited behavior.
Specifically, the company noted in a statement that Robinson's pages had repeatedly broken its standards by "posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims."
"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," the social media giant said.
Anti-fascist and anti-racist organization Hope Not Hate welcomed the decision, referring to Robinson as "a far-right thug who uses his platform to bully, abuse and stir up division."
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Social media law
After a public debate in Germany, a new law on social media came into effect in October. The legislation imposes heavy fines on social media companies, such as Facebook, for failing to take down posts containing hate speech. Facebook and other social media companies have complained about the law, saying that harsh rules might lead to unnecessary censorship.
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Right to be forgotten
In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that European citizens had the right to request search engines, such as Google and Bing, remove "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive" search results linked to their name. Although Google has complied with the ruling, it has done so reluctantly, warning that it could make the internet as "free as the world's least free place."
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Blanket ban
In May 2017, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian social media platforms and web services. The blanket ban affected millions of Ukrainian citizens, many of whom were anxious about their data. The move prompted young Ukrainians to protest on the streets, calling for the government to reinstate access to platforms that included VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network.
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Safe Harbor
In 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that Safe Harbor, a 15-year-old pact between the US and EU that allowed the transfer of personal data without prior approval, was effectively invalid. Austrian law student Max Schrems launched the legal proceedings against Facebook in response to revelations made by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden.
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Regulation
In China, the use of social media is highly regulated by the government. Beijing has effectively blocked access to thousands of websites and platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Instead, China offers its citizens access to local social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat, which boast hundreds of millions of monthly users.
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'Removing the truth'
Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League and co-founder of PEGIDA UK, has condemned the decision. "Where is free speech? I've breached no laws of Facebook... What I've done is shown people the truth, and that is what they are removing, the truth," he told Britain's Press Association.
The 36-year-old is a highly divisive figure in the UK and has been previously convicted on drugs, assault and fraud charges, among others. He was sentenced to 13 months in jail last year for livestreaming outside a court in breach of reporting restrictions on a trial of a gang accused of sexual assault.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has already been banned from Twitter, but his YouTube page remains active. Robinson told supporters on Monday via YouTube to join a mailing list "so I can contact you when I eventually get deleted."
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