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TikTok Bans Reform UK Immigration Video as “Hate Speech” — Then Quietly Reinstates It

TikTok removed a campaign video by Reform UK’s Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf yesterday, labeling it “hate speech and hateful behaviour” — then reversed course within hours after an international backlash, admitting the videos had been taken down “in error.”

The video, filmed at the White Cliffs of Dover, featured Yusuf outlining Reform’s immigration policy: abolishing indefinite leave to remain, requiring English language proficiency, and stating that those who “do not contribute economically” and those who “commit crime will no longer be welcome in our country.” TikTok removed the video after it was reported through the platform’s Online Safety Act compliance mechanism, warning Yusuf that further violations could result in a permanent account ban. Washington Times

The removal was not TikTok acting on its own editorial judgment. The platform explicitly cited the UK’s Online Safety Act as the reason for its action — the law passed by the Conservative and Labour governments that requires platforms to police content against UK hate speech provisions or face fines of up to £18 million, or 10 percent of global annual revenue, whichever is larger. The practical result: when someone files a complaint through the OSA’s reporting mechanism, platforms have a powerful financial incentive to delete first and review later. Democracy Docket

The irony was not lost on observers. Yusuf noted publicly that TikTok “happily hosts hundreds of videos calling for the assassination of Nigel Farage” — including a video from Afghan illegal immigrant Fayaz Khan who threatened Farage’s life on TikTok and was later jailed for five years. That video remained on the platform while a mainstream policy announcement was removed. NOTUS

TikTok reinstated the videos Sunday after what it called an internal review found they had been “removed or restricted in error.” The platform said it “uses a combination of advanced moderation technologies and human review teams” and “reinstates content where errors in moderation are found.” The Daily Beast

The “error” framing deserves scrutiny. As Spiked editor Tom Slater put it, the incident was not an aberration — it was the Online Safety Act working exactly as its incentive structure was designed. When the financial penalty for under-enforcement is measured in the tens of millions, corporations do not pause to deliberate the merits of each complaint. They delete. The error, if there was one, was in the algorithm — but the algorithm’s behavior was a perfectly rational response to the law that created it. NOTUS

The episode plays directly into the broader debate over free speech in the UK — where, as Nigel Farage noted, roughly 30 arrests per day occur for speech-related offenses — and gives ammunition to Reform heading into a period of critical by-elections. A policy video that might have reached a few hundred thousand viewers organically has now been seen by millions across every platform.

Sources: GB News — Removal | GB News — Reinstatement | LBC | Spiked | Reclaim the Net | Breitbart London