YouTube shuts down Portuguese ultranationalist group’s channel
Despite the YouTube ban, the group remains active on other social media platforms.
YouTube has shut down the video channel of the Portuguese ultranationalist group Grupo 1143 for violating its hate speech policies. The action came after the New York Times contacted the platform while investigating how online hate speech can incite real-world violence, using Portugal as a case study. YouTube stated that it prohibits content glorifying hateful supremacist propaganda and took down the channel linked to the group, which is led by neo-Nazi activist Mario Machado.
Machado, who has a criminal history including charges of assault and racial discrimination, criticised the shutdown on X, claiming it was an attempt by the ‘global Left’ to silence his nationalist organisation. Despite the YouTube ban, Grupo 1143’s accounts on X and Telegram remain active. The group, known for organising anti-immigration and anti-Islam protests, is currently under investigation by Portuguese authorities for its possible connection to violent attacks on migrants earlier this year, although it denies any involvement.
YouTube’s hate speech policy strictly bans content promoting violence or hatred based on attributes like immigration status, nationality, or religion. In the first quarter of 2024, YouTube removed over 157,000 videos worldwide for violating these policies.
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