Facebook has banned far-right groups including the British National Party (BNP) and the English Defence League (EDL) from having any presence on the social network for violating the site’s rules around promoting hate and violence.
The ban, which came into effect on Thursday, extends beyond the groups and individuals specifically cited as hate organisation posts and other contents that “expresses praise or support” for them will also be banned, as will users who coordinate support for the groups, reports the Guardian.
Twelve individuals and accounts have been banned by the site: the BNP and its former chairman Nick Griffin; Britain First, its leader, Paul Golding, and former deputy leader Jayda Fransen; the EDL and Paul Ray, a founder member of the group; Knights Templar International and the far-right activist Jim Dowson; the National Front and its leader, Tony Martin; and the far-right activist Jack Renshaw, a former spokesperson for the proscribed terrorist organisation National Action.
In a statement, Facebook said, “Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook. Under our dangerous individuals and organisations policy, we ban those who proclaim a violent or hateful mission or are engaged in acts of hate or violence.”
In a statement, the Knights Templar International far-right group said it was “horrified” by the ban, and that it was exploring legal options. “Facebook has deemed our Christian organisation as dangerous and de-platformed us despite never being charged, let alone found guilty of any crime whatsoever,” a spokesman said.
When Facebook initially banned Britain First in early 2018 it was for repeated breaches of the site’s posting policies, and did not reach the level of designating it as a dangerous organisation. That ban came a few months after the group had ceased to be a political party.
But, according to a source familiar with Facebook’s moderation, the community standards will continue to apply even if one of the newly proscribed individuals runs for or assumes political office, since the company has a clear policy that politicians must follow the same rules as other organisations.
The latest bans come two months after Facebook designated far-right activist Tommy Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – as a dangerous individual, deleting his accounts on the site and on Instagram. A month later, YouTube also took action, drastically limiting the availability of his videos on the site: they are now removed from search and algorithmic recommendations, comments are disabled on them, and users must click through a warning to view them.
