INNOCENT musicians and fans – including one of Britain’s most famous black artists – say they have been barred from Facebook because they’ve been wrongly identified as racist skinheads.
Hundreds of social media users – including The Specials legend Neville Staple – say they’ve been hit in the apparent crackdown.
They suspect the social media giant has acted because they are wrongly believe that anyone with a skinhead look or trappings can be a racist or neo-nazi.
But they say their musical and fashion identity is about music like ska and reggae – and the Two Tone label made famous by The Specials – but nothing to do with the far right.
Last night Neville, 65, pleaded to the social media firm to do their homework.
He said: “Please look into things before doing a general cull. Unity runs through the veins of me and Sugary Staple plus all our 2Tone Ska community’s veins.”
Neville’s wife and vocalist Sugary confirmed on Twitter what had happened.
She said: “#FacebookDisabled @Facebook has disabled hundreds (probably thousands) of accounts tonight! Mine @NevilleStaple & @No1SkaMama too. Lockdown of the mind! @facebookapp @FacebookAppDev @fbnewsroom.”
Please look into things before doing a general cull.
Neville Staple
Another person hit by the cull said he was astonished to be targeted over his haircut.
One of them Neil Martin, 56, told The Sun : “We are Traditional skinheads, reggae, ska, old skool and we have all been branded racists.
“I think it’s something to do with over in America, President Trump has branded some white supremacy organisations as terrorists.
“Facebook have taken it into their own hands to look at the British skinhead scene and culture and to block all our accounts. We have had no explanation.
“We aren’t connected to any groups or anything like that. It seems like even people with short hair have been taken off.
“Facebook have just tarred us with the same brush.”
Neil does reggae, northern soul and ska music sets on Facebook so is now locked out.
Peace-loving skinheads have long decried their portrayal in film and TV – which often show them as aggressive thugs.
In reality they are music-loving and the skinhead movement was actually born out of the Mod generation in the 1960s.
They follow Jamaican, ska, reggae and later two-tone music and have nothing to do with shaven-headed Nazis they are wrongly associated.
Facebook are telling those whose accounts have been shut they need to submit photo ID to be considered to be reactivated.
Vic Mullan wrote online: “So it seems Facebook have deactivated my account because I follow a lot of skinhead and mod groups.
“I think someone at FB HQ needs to do their homework before assuming all skinheads are racist. Absolutely disgraceful.”
Facebook said it was investigating the claims.
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