Google has been warned it could be in contempt of Parliament if it fails to remove an illegal video by the banned far-right group National Action.
John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, strongly criticised the tech giant after being told it had broken a promise to take down footage promoting what he called the “neo-Nazi organisation” from YouTube.
He suggested the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee should haul Google bosses back before it – or make an application to him alleging a “contempt of the House”.
“That is a recourse open to her if people do not comply and do not honour their undertakings,” he told Yvette Cooper, the committee’s chairwoman.
The Labour MP had protested that the National Action video remained available online, despite Google repeatedly promising it would be taken down and steps taken to prevent it reappearing.
“This is one of the richest companies in the world and it is failing to meet its basic responsibilities to tackle extremism and protect public safety in this country,” Ms Cooper said.
In response, Mr Bercow branded National Action a “despicable, fascist, neo-Nazi organisation” and told MPs: “If those commitments have been made, they must be honoured.”
The Home Affairs Committee has accused the tech giant of “either incompetence or unwillingness to act”, after being asked at least seven times in a year to take down the footage.
In a statement to The Independent, a YouTube spokesperson blamed a technical failure for it remaining online, but insisted it was “getting faster at removing violent extremist content”.
“We don’t allow National Action to have a channel on YouTube and we remove National Action content that’s uploaded by third parties,” the spokesperson said.
“Our systems haven’t worked 100 per cent in this instance, and we apologise for that. We’re getting faster at removing violent extremist content by investing in machine learning technology and by hiring more people.”
National Action became the first home-grown white supremacist group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016, after being linked to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.
It has used the slogan “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain” – the only words her killer Thomas Mair said in court during his trial for the June 2016 murder.
The four-and-a-half minute propaganda video at the centre of the controversy features a National Action demonstration in Darlington, in November 2016.
It shows one of the group’s leaders using a loudhailer to warn that white British people will become a “despised and persecuted minority”, as well as footage of violence.
