YouTube has temporarily suspended Sen. Ron Johnson again over COVID-19 “misinformation.” This time, he was suspended over remarks about COVID deaths and vaccine injuries.
“The updated figures today are 17,619,” Johnson said. “That is 225 times the number of deaths in just a 10-month period versus an annual figure for the flu vaccine. These vaccine injuries are real.”
Critics of the Biden administration guidelines surrounding the pandemic, like Sen. Johnson, often claim the government exaggerates the number of deaths and also claim that the government suppresses the deaths caused by the vaccines.
In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said: “We craft our policies to reduce the risk of real-world harm, updating them as official guidance evolves, and we consider the context of a video to make exceptions that balance open discussion of people’s experiences with preventing the spread of harmful misinformation.”
YouTube added that a shorter version of the video that does not contain the controversial remarks is still available.
Following the ban, Sen. Johnson released a statement accusing Big Tech of censoring the truth:
“Once again Big Tech is censoring the truth. Why won’t they let the vaccine injured tell their stories and medical experts give a second opinion? Why can’t we discuss the harmful effects of mandates? Apparently, the Biden administration and federal health agencies must not be questioned. How many more lives will be needlessly destroyed?”
The conservative senator has previously been suspended from YouTube for claiming hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for COVID-19. In response to the ban at the time, he said:
“YouTube’s ongoing COVID censorship proves they have accumulated too much unaccountable power.”
