Technology

Instagram Temporarily Bans Tommy Robinson

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Instagram temporarily banned conservative British activist Tommy Robinson for 18 hours, saying his account “was removed in error” Monday night.

“They have now deleted my Instagram account,” Robinson’s official Facebook account posted Monday evening. It added a prediction that “Facebook will soon close us down.”

Robinson’s account “was removed in error and has since been reactivated,” Instagram said in a statement, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.

“Strange, my instagram is back up [and] running … it was removed in error,” Robinson’s Facebook account posted Tuesday. “How does that even happen?”

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was freed from prison Aug. 1 after a British judge found that his initial jail was unjust. He was freed on bail and will face a retrial.

“Tommy is Free! His conviction for contempt of court in Leeds has been overturned. He has been released on bail with no conditions pending a re-trial of the Leeds case. He is coming home! Thank you to everyone who has supported Tommy,” his official Facebook account posted on Aug. 1.

Robinson was arrested on May 25 for “contempt of court” for recording a video about a court case outside in London. The case involved a group of Muslim men accused of grooming and raping a teenage girl.

He was specifically prevented from reporting on the grooming case while under probation for contempt of court, even if it was “fair, accurate, and contemporaneous” reporting.

His arrest prompted protests worldwide in U.S., Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K.

Follow Kyle on Twitter @KylePerisic

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