The UK criticises Instagram via Twitter for being slow to remove Wiley's hate comments

British interior minister Priti Patel announced that she had asked Twitter and Instagram for a full explanation of why anti-Semitic comments made by rap artist Wiley remained on the social media platforms for so long - check the article about Wiley’s comments here.

Wiley is still facing a police investigation after comments appeared on his social media accounts on Friday asserting that Jews systematically exploited Black artists in the music industry.

Britain's Home Secretary, Priti Patel, speaks to the media near to the scene of reported multiple stabbings in Reading, Britain. Image credit REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

“The anti-Semitic posts from Wiley are abhorrent,” Patel posted on Twitter.

“They should not have been able to remain on Twitter and Instagram for so long and I have asked them for a full explanation. Social media companies must act much faster to remove such appalling hatred from their platforms.”

A company spokesperson for Facebook, the company which also owns Instagram, responded: “There is no place for hate speech on Instagram. We have deleted content that violates our policies from this account and have blocked access to it for seven days.”

Even if Twitter has deleted some anti-Semitic statements on Wiley’s Twitter account, it did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding why it took the company so long to remove the hate comments.