Facebook has removed the rapper Wiley’s accounts on its platform and on Instagram due to “repeated violations.”
The company said: "There is no place for hate speech on Facebook and Instagram, and we don't want it on our platforms. After initially placing Wiley’s accounts in a seven day block, we have now removed both his Facebook and Instagram accounts for repeated violations of our policies.”
Shamed rapper Wiley, who has been barred from Twitter for a week, had continued to post inflammatory messages aimed at the Jewish community on Facebook under his real name of Richard Kylea Cowie.
After an investigation by the Comminity Security Trust, the grime star has been identified as having been in Rotterdam for the past week.
In a series of messages posted over the past 48 hours, the grime star tried to double down on most of the antisemitic comments he had made on Twitter at the end of last week.
He also mentioned Jewish comedian David Baddiel, the BBC Radio presenter Emma Barnett and Universal Records boss David Joseph, suggesting they engage with him over his remarks.
Writing on Facebook on Tuesday, Wiley claimed his sister’s house had been visited by 12 policeman. In an apparent reference to the Jewish community he wrote: “Listen Golders Green ring my sister and let’s meet ASAP.”
The message – which appears to have been deleted – sparked an angry response from some.
The 41-year-old also used Facebook to post claims that “certain people” viewed black people as being beneath them in society.
He wrote: “Black people we have always been below them in their eyes this is what fucked me up in the head....Why do certain people from other races want us below them.”
In another post he added: “This is what they fear that 1 day black people will be in control..So they keep doing everything to make sure that doesn't happen.”
In other posts, Wiley wrote: “Golders Green yes see you soon. I will come on my own”, and “Who called the police? Are you from Golders Green? I am coming to sit with you in Golders Green...”
They appeared to suggest the rapper believed he would be able to engage in discussions with the Jewish community over his inflammatory messages.
After David Baddiel appeared on Times Radio to discuss his antisemitic tweets, Wiley wrote: “David Baddiel come and talk to me to my face… Let’s talk.”
He had the same message for Emma Barnett after she made an impassioned speech on her BBC Radio 5 Live show on Monday about the impact of antisemitism on her own life.
Addressing Universal Records chair Mr Joseph – who is Jewish – he wrote: “David Joseph head of universal be quiet cos its people like you who come along and get Stormzy after we made him.....We do the work not you.”
Wiley also used the report of racist comments made by Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef in 2018 – when he claimed to be using a passage from the Talmud to describe black people as ‘monkey’ – as justification for his antisemitic rants.
He wrote on Facebook: “I wanna sit down with the rabbi who said black people look like monkeys? I need to ask him a few questions.”
The rapper also wrote: “I spoke on twitter the way I have seen lord sugar speak before…”
Responsing to Wiley's posts on their platform a Facebook spokesperson said:“There is no place for hate speech on any of our platforms, including attacks against Jews. We have deleted content that violates our policies from Wiley's Facebook and Instagram profiles and have blocked access to them for seven days. We’re continuing to investigate the situation.”
