Sacha Baron Cohen Urges YouTube to ‘Save Democracy’ by Banning Trump
Actor complains president is telling 'election lies to MILLIONS of people!'
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Sacha Baron Cohen has blasted video-streaming platform YouTube for not falling into line with its fellow Big Tech oligarchs by banning President Donald Trump from using its service.
The actor-turned-propagandist took to Twitter Monday to complain that YouTube is spreading Trump's alleged "election lies to MILLIONS of people!"
British "comedian" Cohen demanded that Google-owned YouTube joins the anti-Trump campaign to "save democracy" by banning the president that 75 million Americans voted for.
“Virtually every social media company has removed Trump…EXCEPT YouTube,” Cohen tweeted on Monday.
“Trump’s YouTube channel is STILL showing videos of his election lies to MILLIONS of people!”
Cohen tagged YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki as well as Google CEO Sundar Pichai and challenged them to “save democracy” by banning President Trump.
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As reported by Fox News, President Trump’s YouTube account now stands at 2.74 million subscribers.
Over the weekend, after Twitter purged Trump’s personal account from its platform, Cohen praised it as a seismic moment.
"This is the most important moment in the history of social media,” tweeted Cohen.
"The world’s largest platforms have banned the world’s biggest purveyor of lies, conspiracies and hate.
"To every Facebook and Twitter employee, user and advocate who fought for this–the entire world thanks you!"
This is the most important moment in the history of social media.
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) January 9, 2021
The world’s largest platforms have banned the world's biggest purveyor of lies, conspiracies and hate.
To every Facebook and Twitter employee, user and advocate who fought for this--the entire world thanks you! pic.twitter.com/jihFaOA39G
After Twitter removed Trump’s personal account from its platform, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — no friend of Trump — expressed concern about Big Tech’s power to silence people in the future.
“For months, President Trump has been using social media platforms to seed doubt about the results of the election and to undermine the will of voters,” ACLU wrote.
"We understand the desire to permanently suspend him now, but it should concern everyone when companies like Facebook and Twitter wield the unchecked power to remove people from platforms that have become indispensable for the speech of billions — especially when political realities make those decisions easier.
"President Trump can turn to his press team or Fox News to communicate with the public, but others — like the many Black, Brown, and LGBTQ activists who have been censored by social media companies – will not have that luxury.
"It is our hope that these companies will apply their rules transparently to everyone."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced Twitter’s ban violated a “fundamental right.”
“This fundamental right can be intervened in, but according to the law and within the framework defined by legislators — not according to a decision by the management of social media platforms,” said Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
“Seen from this angle, the chancellor considers it problematic that the accounts of the U.S. president have now been permanently blocked.”
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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was equally distressed with the purge, saying it crossed a line and sets a dangerous precedent.
“I don’t like anybody being censored or taking away from the right to post a message on Twitter or Face(book),” López Obrador said on Thursday.
"I don’t agree with that, I don’t accept that.
“How can you censor someone: ‘Let’s see, I, as the judge of the Holy Inquisition, will punish you because I think what you’re saying is harmful,’” he added.
“Where is the law, where is the regulation, what are the norms?
"This is an issue of government, this is not an issue for private companies.”
