YouTube banned Mike Cernovich’s documentary on Sweden’s refugee crisis from being viewed in European countries, then restored the video but placed it in “YouTube Jail,” disabling comments and sharing, while adding a warning message to viewers.
Cernovich shared the email from YouTube that informed him his documentary, Invasion! How Sweden Became the Rape Capital of the West, which was published in March, would be censored in Europe on Thursday.
https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/941387764867653632
“We have received a legal complaint regarding your video. After review, the following video: Invasion! How Sweden Became the Rape Capital of the West has been blocked from view on the following YouTube country site(s),” declared the company, before listing, “Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, France, United Kingdom, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Martinique, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Poland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Reunion, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, French Southern Territories, Wallis and Futuna, [and] Mayotte.”
https://twitter.com/MrNashington/status/941704366138036224
“My documentary on Sweden, which has no nudity or foul language, has been banned in the EU,” reported Cernovich on Twitter. “No explanation given… No legal right to appeal… No due process #NetNeutrality is a scam, social media companies do not support a free and open internet.”
The video had been previously restricted in the United States, with YouTube labeling it “hate speech,” and closing down the comments and the ability to like or share the video.
“We believe in the principles of free speech, even when that speech is unpopular or potentially offensive to some viewers. However, YouTube doesn’t allow hate speech or content that promotes or incites violence,” YouTube declared. “Your video will be shown after a warning message. In addition, certain features such as comments, sharing, thumbs up, and suggested videos have been disabled. Your video is also ineligible for monetization.”
https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/917779556081139712
In a comment to Breitbart Tech, Cernovich claimed, “YouTube has not given me any reason for the ban. They even said in their subject line that legal action has been taken. But I was not given due process of law.”
“YouTube will allow child exploration and pro-pedophile videos on their platform while age-restricting a documentary on current events,” he continued. “I appealed the age-restriction finding, but Google affirmed it.”
YouTube has frequently sanctioned and censored conservatives, libertarians, and classical liberals on the platform, affecting Dave Rubin, Diamond and Silk, Ron Paul, and PragerU, who announced in October that they are suing YouTube and its parent company Google over alleged censorship.
This month, YouTube also “quarantined” a video on Europe’s migrant crisis released by the Polish government.
After Breitbart Tech reached out to YouTube for comment, the company removed the ban, however, the video still features a warning and restrictions on commenting and sharing.
https://twitter.com/MrNashington/status/941727142810963968
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.
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