Facebook has once again betrayed its commitment to being a platform for free speech.
The site announced its ban of activist Tommy Robinson early February 26. Facebook staff alleged he had called for “violence.” Robinson responded by claiming this was done “in response to my expose documentary called Panadrama, which exposed the establishment” and “they're working with the tech giants to remove us completely.”
BBC contributor and chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation Mohammed Shafiq tweeted that he was involved with Facebook’s decision to ban Robinson. He claimed he “recently had a meeting with Facebook to discuss #TommyRobinson pages.” He alleged those pages had an “impact in brainwashing his supporters to become terrorist and use violence against Muslims.”
Robinson, whose Facebook page had more than one million fans, previously made news when he was arrested and jailed for calling out immigrant grooming gangs. Such gangs have been a sinister UK phenomenon where immigrant groups target underage English girls for sexual abuse while authorities and local left wing politicians turn a blind eye. More than 1,510 girls were targeted by majority-Pakistani gangs in a single town, some of whom were doused in gasoline and threatened with fire if they told authorities about their abusers.
Facebook usually bans users without any formal fanfare, but this time announced with via its newsblog. The company alleged Robinson was banned for “dehumanizing language” and “calls for violence.” It did not include any pictures or even quotes showing the speech that allegedly got him banned.
Robinson argued that “the reasons they’ve given are just complete lies. They’re saying I incited violence and that I openly called for violence against Muslims, that’s just a lie. If that was the case then they could show evidence of messages where I’d said that but I never have.”
Many conservatives would criticize Facebook’s claim that “individuals and organizations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram.”
Facebook hasn’t banned Louis Farrakhan who regularly refers to Jewish people as the “synagogue of Satan” and has famously referred to his anti-Jewish ideals as “Anti-termite.” They also have not banned Smash Racism DC, the alt-left activist group who raided Tucker Carlson’s house while his wife was home alone. Even the SPLC has Farrakhan and his organization on their website as hateful, yet they won’t be penalized in the same way Robinson has been.
Breitbart noted that in addition to Facebook and Instagram, “[Robinson] was de-platformed by Twitter in May 2018, banned from receiving payments by Paypal in November of that year, and had Youtube videos blocked from earning revenue in January 2019.”
Robinson alleged to the Press Association in the UK that this ban is a political power-play, "This is in response to my expose documentary called Panadrama, which exposed the establishment working with Hope not Hate, working along with the media, in order to bring me down and destroy me.”
"Now they have realised that that has not worked, they're working with the tech giants to remove us completely,” he concluded.
Another Problem at Facebook
Robinson wasn’t the only conservative to run afoul of Facebook’s censors. Former Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam was briefly shut out of his own Facebook fan page, The Daily Caller reported.
“My personal Facebook profile has been deleted, with no warning or explanation. I can no longer administer my fan page, with over 150,000 likes.”
Donald Trump Jr. quickly commented on the incident, adding fuel to the controversy and wryly observing: “I’m sure this was an ‘accident’ like I’ve been hearing from the social media masters,” he wrote in a tweet. “Funny that the accidents only happen one way.”
Facebook said in a statement, “This profile was removed in error and was restored as soon as we were able to investigate.”
