In two consecutive days, two broad online platforms have taken down a total of 8 videos containing hate speech and violating the companies’ community standards.
The 4 videos removed by YouTube recently are linked to Alex Jones, the founder of InfoWars, where he featured himself denouncing the Muslim immigrants to Europe and creators of a transgender cartoon.
Just a day after, Facebook removed 4 videos from its own platform. These videos were on pages belonging to InfoWars and Jones. A spokesperson of CNN reported this and added that the contents of the videos violate Facebook’s community standards.
The social media giant did not just stop at removal, but also took note of Jones’s humdrum recurrent behaviors on the platform, for which it warned him of a possible 30-day ban.
Jones stated about YouTube’s removal on social media: “YouTube has removed four Infowars videos that were critical of liberalism.” In the post, he even urged people to check out videos on his website and decide for themselves.
A spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous for security concerns declined to comment directly on the videos. He said: “We have longstanding policies against child endangerment and hate speech.”
The Jones’ InfoWars website videos include a man pushing a child to the ground. The spokesperson added, “We apply our policies consistently according to the content in the videos, regardless of the speaker or the channel.”
InfoWars on its website posted a statement saying that YouTube punished the Jones channel by a community strike that involves him unable to broadcast live on the platform for 90 days. According to the policy of the video streaming service provider, this channel (with over 2.4 million subscribers) will be permanently terminated given he receives two more community strikes within 3 months.
One of the removed videos from YouTube had Jones criticizing an online series called Drag Tots by using animated drag queen characters. Jones brought a comparison of Satanists regarding the series creators. His criticisms include the series contents appealing to children, and he even warned them of divine judgment. Two other videos showed that Jones is suggesting of the immigrant Muslims to Europe gaining control of the continent’s countries!
Jones since founding InfoWars in 1999 has been able to drive a massive follower-base now. One of his extreme theories talks about the government staging the tragic 9/11 attack.
But the punishments of Facebook and YouTube are not the first times Jones has had to face blockage in his progress of building a cult. He was sued this April by the parents of two children who demised in the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre in Connecticut. The accusation involves him and his InfoWars being engaged in a campaign of “false, cruel, and dangerous assertions.”