Test searches for \u2018Tommy Robinson\u2019 on YouTube now return a series of news reports \u2014 instead of Yaxley-Lennon\u2019s own channel, as was the case just last month.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wordpressdynamos.com\/timesofnewscdn\/blog\/5c78a_Screenshot-2019-04-02-at-10.16.55.png?resize=640%2C504&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
YouTube had already demonetized Yaxley-Lennon\u2019s channel back in January for violating its ad policies.<\/p>\n
But as we reported last month<\/a> Google has been under increasing political pressure in the UK to tighten its policies over the far right activist.<\/p>\n The policy shift applies to videos uploaded by Yaxley-Lennon that aren\u2019t illegal or otherwise in breach of YouTube\u2019s community standards (as the company applies them) but which have nonetheless been flagged by users as potential violations of the platform\u2019s policies on hate speech and violent extremism.<\/p>\n In such instances YouTube says it will review the videos and those not in violation of its policies but which nonetheless contain controversial religious or extremist content will be placed behind an interstitial, removed from recommendations, and stripped of key features including comments, suggested videos, and likes.<\/p>\n Such videos will also not be eligible for monetization.<\/p>\n The company says its goal with the stricter approach to Yaxley-Lennon\u2019s content is to strike a balance between upholding free expression and a point of public and historic record, while also keeping hateful content from being spread or recommended to others.<\/p>\n YouTube said it carefully considered Yaxley-Lennon\u2019s case \u2014 consulting with external experts and UK academics \u2014 before deciding it needed to take tougher treatment.<\/p>\n Affected videos will still remain on YouTube \u2014 albeit behind an interstitial. They also won\u2019t be recommended, and will be stripped of the usual social features including comments, suggested videos, and likes.<\/p>\n Of course it remains to be seen how tightly YouTube will apply the new more restrictive policy in this case. And whether Yaxley-Lennon himself will adapt his video strategy to workaround tighter rules on that channel.<\/p>\n The far right is very well versed in using coded language and dog whistle tactics to communicate with its followers and spread racist messages under the mainstream radar.<\/p>\n Yaxley-Lennon has had a presence on multiple social media channels, adapting the content to the different platforms. Though YouTube is the last mainstream channel still available to him after Facebook kicked him off its platform in February<\/a>. Albeit, he was quickly able to workaround Facebook\u2019s ban simply by using a friend\u2019s Facebook account to livestream himself harassing<\/a> a journalist at his home late at night.<\/p>\n Police were called out twice in that instance. And in a vlog uploaded to YouTube after the incident Yaxley-Lennon threatened other journalists to \u201cexpect a knock at the door\u201d.<\/p>\n Shortly afterwards the deputy leader of the official opposition raised his use of YouTube to livestream harassment in parliament, telling MPs then that: \u201cEvery major social media platform other than YouTube has taken down Stephen Yaxley-Lennon\u2019s profile because of his hateful conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n The secretary of state for digital, Jeremy Wright, responded by urging YouTube to \u201creconsider their judgement\u201d \u2014 saying: <\/span>\u201cWe all believe in freedom of speech. But we all believe too that that freedom of speech has limits. And we believe that those who seek to intimidate others, to potentially of course break the law\u2026 that is unacceptable. That is beyond the reach of the type of freedom of speech that we believe should be protected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n YouTube claims it removes videos that violate its hate speech and violent content policies. But in previous instances involving Yaxley-Lennon it has told us that specific videos of his \u2014 including the livestreamed harassment that was raised in parliament \u2014 do not constitute a breach of its standards.<\/p>\n It\u2019s now essentially admitting that those standards are too weak in instances of weaponized hate.<\/p>\n Yaxley-Lennon, a former member of the neo-nazi British National Party and one of the founders of the far right, Islamophobic English Defence League, has used social media to amplify his message of hate while also soliciting donations to fund individual far right \u2018activism\u2019 \u2014 under the \u2018Tommy Robinson\u2019 moniker.<\/p>\n