Wiley, who has been described as the godfather of grime music, posted a series of anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter and Instagram late last week. Although some of the posts were blocked and removed, UK government officials and other public figures criticized both platforms for leaving other posts for too long and for not doing enough overall to stop anti-Semitism.
Wiley, who was honored with an Order of the British Empire award by Prince William in 2018 for his contributions to music, was temporarily excluded from his Twitter (TWTR), Facebook (full board) and Instagram accounts on Monday.
On Tuesday after posting more comments about the Jewish people, Facebook permanently banned Wiley from Facebook and Instagram “for repeated violations of our policies,” a spokesperson told CNN Business.
A Twitter spokesperson said Monday the platform had taken swift action, blocking certain tweets and blocking Wiley from her account.
“Abuse and harassment have no place on Twitter and we strongly condemn it,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our Hateful Conduct Policy prohibits the promotion of violence against, or threats of attack on, people based on certain categories, such as religious affiliation, race, and ethnicity, and is also against the rules Twitter use hate images. ” “
“We apply our rules judiciously and impartially for everyone and take action if an account violates our rules,” added the Twitter spokesperson.
But UK Home Secretary Priti Patel accused the companies of acting too slowly to eliminate hate speech.
“Wiley’s anti-Semitic posts are abominable,” he said in a tweet Sunday. “They shouldn’t have been able to stay on Twitter and Instagram for that long and I’ve asked them for a full explanation. Social media companies must act much faster to remove that terrible hatred from their platforms.”
On Twitter, #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate and # 48HoursSilence were trending on Monday as many prominent accounts encouraged others to join the digital “strike”.
“We joined @Twitter’s # 48HoursSilence boycott to protest their inaction against anti-Semitism. We stand in solidarity with Jewish friends and colleagues against intimidation and discrimination. #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate,” the accounts of the Royal Opera House and Royal Academy tweeted.
“Harry Potter” actor Jason Isaacs posted, “I’m in. Or out, rather. I’m so used to anti-Semitic hatred, caricature, and conspiracy theories of governments, looneytunes, the left, the right, and the reasonable center that A long time ago I lost hope for change online or in life. Maybe there is a window. ”
Wiley’s management company announced that it was breaking up their relationship. with the rapper on Saturday. His manager John Woolf tweeted, “Following Wiley’s anti-Semitic tweets today, we at @A_ListMGMT have severed all ties to him. There is no place in society for anti-Semitism.”
Like other European countries, the UK government has increased its pressure on Internet platforms to act faster and eliminate hate speech. In March, it announced that broadcast media regulator OfCom would be responsible for enforcing and regulating Internet platforms to protect users from “harmful and illegal content” with “fair, proportionate and transparent” penalties.
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