By James Simons-
British rapper, Wiley, has been given a soft 7 day ban from twitter after posting a thread of antisemitic comments on his Twitter account.
The incident has led to more calls for social media platforms to tighten their policies around hate speech – including from Home Secretary Priti Patel
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Ms Patel has demanded a “full explanation” from Twitter and Instagram on why anti-Semitic posts by rapper Wiley were not removed more quickly.
Police are also investigating a series of posts on the grime artist’s social media accounts. He has been temporarily banned from both Twitter and Instagram.
Priti Patel said the posts were anti-Semitic and “abhorrent”.
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“Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms,” she said.
Wiley, 41, known as the “godfather of grime”, shared conspiracy theories and insulted Jewish people on his Instagram and Twitter accounts, which together have more than 940,000 followers.
Violation
Twitter removed some of Wiley’s tweets with a note saying they violated its rules – but other tweets remained visible 12 hours after they were posted. Twitter later said Wiley’s account had been locked for seven days- a soft consequence for what is supposed to be a serious offence by the rap star, regarding as the godfather of grime.
Facebook also said on Sunday that the platform had also blocked the rapper from his account for seven days, and that there was “no place for hate speech on Instagram”.
However, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said the steps taken by Twitter and Instagram were not enough.
In a letter to bosses of the two social media firms, he said that when the material was published on their platforms, “the response – its removal and the banning of those responsible – should be immediate.
“It takes minutes for content shared on your platform to reach an audience of millions. When someone influential shares hate speech, in that time it may have an impact on the views of many who look up to them.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the British underground music scene and considered a key figure in the world of grime.
Taking to Twitter, Wiley shared various conspiracy theories and insulted Jewish people, accusing them of being “snakes” and suggesting that they are “at war” with black people.
He wrote: “There are 2 sets of people who nobody has really wanted to challenge #Jewish & #KKK but being in business for 20 years you start to understand why. Red Necks Are the KKK and Jewish people are the Law… Work that out.”
He also tweeted: “If you work for a company owned by 2 Jewish men and you challenge the Jewish community in anyway, of course you will get fired.”
Insult
Wiley also insulted the Jewish community by saying people should “hold some corn” which is a slang expression meaning “to be shot”. He added: “Jewish community you deserve it.”
As a result of his tweets, Wiley’s management company, A-List Management have “cut all ties” with the rapper.
John Woolf, who is Jewish, wrote on Twitter: “Following Wiley’s antisemitic tweets today we at @A_ListMGMT have cut all ties with him. There is no place in society for antisemitism.”
However, in a video posted on Instagram, Wiley claimed it was he who cut ties with his management, not the other way around.
He was initially banned from Twitter for only a few hours, but on Saturday (25 July) morning he tweeted to his almost 500,000 followers that he was “back in action” and continued with his antisemitic tweets.
Twitter Weak Stance On Antisemtism
Twitter has been accused of “ignoring antisemitism”, with various MPs criticising the company for allowing the tweets to remain online for as long as they did.
Labour MP Jess Phillips said on Saturday: “Just seen all the Wiley stuff. Why on earth have @Twitter left up such blatant antisemitism and hatred? It hits all the dangerous beats, Jews get things you don’t get, they are in control, they think they’re better… This is dangerous stuff. Surely it should come down.”
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said: “Our crime unit has reported this matter to the Metropolitan Police Service as we consider that Wiley has committed the offence of incitement to racial hatred, which can carry a substantial prison sentence.”
The spokesperson also said that the CAA have contacted the honours forfeiture committee at the Cabinet Office to ask “that Wiley’s MBE be revoked”.
On Saturday, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said: “We have received a number of reports relating to alleged anti-Semitic tweets posted on social media.
“The MET takes all reports of anti-Semitism extremely seriously. The relevant material is being assessed. Anyone with further information can report it online or via 101 with reference 4219917/20.”
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