Youtube banned Gavin McInnes, the founder of far-right men’s group the Proud Boys, leaving him without access to any major social media sites. The Daily Beast first reported the news.
A message on McInnes’ Youtube page on Monday read that his account had been terminated due to “multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted.”
McInnes reportedly had more than 200,000 subscribers to his channel, the Daily Beast reported. YouTube was the last major social media platform McInnes could use to spread his conservative message.
McInnes was suspended from Twitter in August and he was kicked off of Facebook and Instagram in October, all due to the social media sites’ various policies dealing with violent, extremist or hate groups. The Verge reported that McInnes, in a statement to media outlets, said that the bannings meant he could no longer respond to various criticism.
McInnes, who co-founded Vice media but left the company 10 years ago, founded the Proud Boys in 2016. Over the weekend, McInnes lost his job at CRTV, a conservative video site.
Blaze Media no longer has a relationship with Gavin McInnes, and per company policy, cannot comment on personnel matters.
— BlazeTV (@BlazeTV) December 9, 2018
In a Clark County, Wash. investigative report, the FBI indicated that the Proud Boys was classified as an “extremist group with white nationalist ties,” however the FBI has since clarified that the designation was unintentional.
Though they call themselves a fraternal organization that allows all races, the Proud Boys also describes its members as believing Euro-American culture is superior to other cultures. They have also been linked to violent protests across the country, including “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Va., which led to dozens of injuries and the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer.
Social media sites have recently come under fire for their contribution to spreading misinformation and violent messages. YouTube has cracked down on its content in 2018, leading them to ban users like conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and remove content such as videos involving weapons.