Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has urged YouTube to “reconsider their judgment” over hosting Tommy Robinson videos.
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson called for them to be removed after Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, live streamed a visit to a journalist’s home.
Mr Watson said every other major social media platform has taken down the content from Mr Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, because “of his hateful conduct”.
He told the Commons that the right-wing activist had been “banging on the door of a journalist” late at night this week, and after being led away by police “returned at 4am and continued his intimidation”.
Mr Watson said it was being live-streamed, and that Mr Robinson later warned in a YouTube video that the journalist should “expect a knock at the door”, asking if Mr Wright thought it “right that YouTube continues to give this man a platform”.
(Image: Twitter)
Mike Stuchberry tweeted how the anti-Islam activist had turned up at his house on Monday night demanding to speak to him.
The journalist, who’s written articles about far right groups, said he’d called police after being woken at 10.15pm by “pounding” on his doors and windows.
A video posted on YouTube shows Robinson outside an address in Luton and he accuses Mr Stuchberry of being part of a “campaign of hate” and “Intimidation” against his family.
Robinson says that it led to people turning up his family home on Sunday and he’d been forced to move his children because they were “scared” and “upset”.
The Cabinet minister said we all believe in freedom of speech, but added: “We all believe that that freedom of speech has limits.
“And we believe that those who seek to intimidate others, those that seek to potentially break the law, because the description he’s given the House this morning is potentially a description of criminal behaviour, that is unacceptable.
“That is beyond the reach of the type of freedom of speech that we believe should be protected.
“And, as I have said, all internet companies, all platforms for this kind of speech need to take their responsibilities seriously.”
On Mr Robinson’s profile, he added: “I hope YouTube will consider this very carefully, consider what he has said, what I have said, and reconsider their judgment”.
Mr Watson welcomed the comments, and asked if the forthcoming White Paper on internet safety would include provisions to: “Stop hate figures, extremists and their followers turning the online world into a cesspit of hate?”
Mr Wright replied: “No freedom of speech can survive in this country if we do not protect people’s ability to feel free to say what they think, free of intimidation, free of the threat of violence.”
