TOMMY ROBINSON, the second-generation Irishman who founded the EDL, has had his Twitter account stripped of its verified status and the accompanying blue tick permanently removed.
Several high-profile far-right commentators suffered the same fate on Wednesday after the social media platform introduced new guidelines around verified accounts.
Robinson – an outspoken critic of Islam – responded to the move using his Twitter account, posting: “The truth is now hate speech.”
The truth is now hate speech pic.twitter.com/LHHFgdD05P
— Tommy Robinson ?? (@TRobinsonNewEra) November 15, 2017
Twitter accounts of public interest are given a blue verified badge to show they are the actual person or organisation they claim to be.
However the company’s new guidelines say a user’s account could be stripped of its verified status as a result of behaviour both on and off Twitter.
Some of the reasons for loss of verified status include violence and dangerous behaviour; inciting or engaging in harassment; and promoting hate.
Following the loss of his blue tick, Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told HuffPost UK: “I’ve breached none of their guidelines.
“If they are saying that I promote hate then we have laws against that in the UK so the police would have arrested me.”
He added that the move will only raise public awareness of the ‘attempts to silence’ him and ultimately garner him more support.
Critics have claimed removing verification from some accounts could be construed as Twitter endorsing verified accounts, and that the removal of the blue tick proves it is a privilege as opposed to merely a means of identification.
So far I have seen a few people associated with the right de-verified. Has anyone on the left been de-verified?
By removing badges Twitter is proving the badge is an endorsement and not about proving identities.— Tim Pool (@Timcast) November 15, 2017
Twitter will remove your blue check mark if you violate its rules. Verification is a privilege now, no longer a motif of authentication.
— brad esposito (@braddybb) November 15, 2017
2 / Verification has long been perceived as an endorsement. We gave verified accounts visual prominence on the service which deepened this perception. We should have addressed this earlier but did not prioritize the work as we should have.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 15, 2017
3 / This perception became worse when we opened up verification for public submissions and verified people who we in no way endorse.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 15, 2017
Despite the changes, Robinson has remained active on Twitter, highlighting other accounts that remain verified.
These include the accounts of LostProphets singer Ian Watkins, who is currently serving 29 years for child sex offences, and Hollywood producers Harvey Weinstein, who was at the centre of recent sexual assault allegations.
However Watkins’ account has been virtually inactive since December 2012, while Weinstein hasn’t posted a single tweet since activating his account five years ago.
As well as Robinson, others to lose their verified status include white supremacist Richard Spencer and Justin Kessler, the organiser of the far-right rally in Charlottesville in August where counter-protestors were struck by a car, leaving one dead.
It was the outcry following the verification of Kessler’s Twitter account last week that prompted the company to suspend its verification process and draft new guidelines.
