YouTube took down a video from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s channel that voiced support for Israel. The only stated reason? He called Hamas “savages.”
The clip, later posted on X by the conservative Florida’s Voice, showed a segment on Fox Business with Larry Kudlow. Rubio in the clip referenced a series of attacks on Israeli civilians.
“We need to start waking up and saying, we could project all the Western attributes we want, on Iran, on Hamas and on groups like that. But these guys are ideological psychopaths, and they’re savages,” he said.
“And they would if they could, not just kill every Jew they can get their hands on, they would kill Americans in the process as well, and in fact they openly call for that. We should start believing these people on what they say.”
The video clip on YouTube was entitled, “RUBIO: Western ideals WON’T WORK on ‘savage’ terrorist groups.”
It’s unclear if the title or the video content set off YouTube’s algorithm, but the video was deplatformed for violating “hate speech policy.”
A standard message to users said it was important to keep YouTube as a “safe place for all.” It directed the video poster to a place where the decision could be appealed.
“Content that incites hatred against individuals or groups based on their protected group status isn’t allowed on YouTube,” a policy excerpt reads. “This may include dehumanization, using slurs and stereotypes, inferiority claims, and/or conspiracy theories.”
The message does state that exceptions to this policy can be made “with sufficient and appropriate content.”
Rubio voiced displeasure at the action, especially in context of attacks in Israel by Hamas that have resulted in an estimated 1,300 Israeli deaths from missile attacks and raids.
“Apparently YouTube/Google has decided that calling Hamas terrorists who burned babies and raped girls ‘savages’ is dehumanizing ‘hate speech,’” the Miami Republican posted on X.
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