Action needed over ‘abhorrent’ anti-Semitic posts, says Priti Patel
Home Secretary Priti Patel has called for social media companies to act faster Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN - Credit: Archant
Essex MP Priti Patel has called on social media companies to act faster in removing “appalling hatred” from their platforms after anti-Semitic posts were made by a musician.
Anti-Semitic comments by grime artist Wiley have caused outrage on social media Picture: Ian West/PA Wire - Credit: PA
Police are investigating a series of comments on grime artist Wiley’s Instagram and Twitter accounts on Friday, which led to a seven-day ban from both platforms.
In a tweet on Sunday, the home secretary and MP for Witham said: “The anti-Semitic posts from Wiley are abhorrent.
“They should not have been able to remain on Twitter and Instagram for so long, and I have asked them for a full explanation.
“Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms.”
Following Wiley’s posts, Twitter was accused of “ignoring anti-Semitism” as his tweets were still visible 12 hours after they were first posted.
A number of tweets have now been removed.
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On Sunday, a spokesman for Facebook, which owns Instagram, said the platform had also issued the rapper with a seven-day block on his account.
Twitter previously said Wiley’s account had been temporarily locked “for violating our hateful conduct policy”, while Facebook said there was “no place for hate speech on Instagram”.
