TikTok is removing posts by Grzegorz Braun, leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown, and has also temporarily restricted the recommendation of his content in the “For You” channel. This move comes after China sold the platform for the founder and CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellision.
This may significantly reduce the MEP’s reach among young users, notes “Rzeczpospolita”, which described the scale of the phenomenon, as noted by Do Rzeczy. Notably, Braun has been accused of anti-Semitism on numerous occasions, including for comments he made about the Holocaust.
One of the deleted videos was a video titled “National Day of the Firefighter Who Saved Poland,” depicting the notorious incident of Dec. 12, 2023, when Braun extinguished the candles on a Jewish Hanukkah menorah in the Sejm (lower house of parliament) with a fire extinguisher.
The video was published on the anniversary of the event, with a humorous tone and cheerful background music.
Late last year, TikTok deleted six videos from Braun’s account, showing, among other things, his most notorious actions and statements. These included videos referencing the extinguishing of the Hanukkah fire, but also videos in which the politician questioned the existence of the gas chambers at Auschwitz, as well as videos of other controversial speeches.
A video promoting the “Stop the Immigrant Invasion” march of the Confederation of the Polish Crown has also been removed from the platform. According to “Rzeczpospolita,” the video depicted Black men as aggressive. The footage was reported after interventions by the “Never Again” Association, which collaborates with social media platforms to report content that may violate their terms and conditions.
TikTok confirms removals and restrictions. “A number of videos posted by MEP Braun violated our community guidelines regarding hate speech and have been removed. Therefore, we have also temporarily restricted the recommendation of his content in the “For You” channel,” Piotr Żaczko, TikTok’s spokesperson for Central and Eastern Europe, told “Rzeczpospolita.”
He added that the platform “does not allow hate speech” and that in the case of serious violations, the account may even be banned.
Braun has 242,000 followers on TikTok. TikTok is currently one of the most important channels for reaching the youngest voters. Braun has not commented on the situation.
Notably, Braun’s party is performing better than many analysts believed was possible, reaching as high as the third most popular party in the country and receiving over 11 percent of the vote. In polling averages, the party receives approximately 8 percent of the vote, and is in fourth place.
