Facebook has temporarily suspended rapper Wiley after he shared abusive posts aimed at his Jewish critics.
His comments came after an anti-Semitic tirade on Twitter on Friday.
On Facebook, the grime artist posted under his name Richard Kylea Cowie, the BBC discovered.
He specifically named Jewish celebrities – including Lord Alan Sugar, comedian David Baddiel and BBC presenter Emma Barnett.
A Facebook spokesperson said the posts violate its policies and that it has blocked access to the grime artist’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. His profiles have not been taken down. The BBC has contacted Wiley for comment.
The posts aimed abuse at Jewish celebrities who had expressed their dismay about Wiley’s tweets. Several mentioned “Golders Green” – a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish community.
Wiley wrote: “Listen Golders Green ring my sister and let’s meet asap”; “David Baddiel come and talk to my face”; and “Who called the police? Are you from Golders Green? I am coming to sit down with you… Labyrinth you could come along as you have forgotten what colour you are.”
A number of comments on the posts also include anti-Semitic abuse.
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The latest comments were shared on Wiley’s personal Facebook profile, and not his official fan page. Although they had relatively little engagement – less than 100 likes and comments each – they were visible to the public.
Several of Wiley’s tweets were taken down and his Twitter account was temporarily suspended after he went on an anti-Semitic tirade on Friday. One tweet read: “I don’t care about Hitler, I care about black people”, and compared the Jewish community to the Ku Klux Klan. Most of the posts spread anti-Semitic tropes.
He also had a number of posts deleted by Instagram, but his accounts are still live.
A number of prominent users called for a 48-hour boycott of Twitter which began Monday, saying that the social network did not take action quickly enough and should have permanently banned Wiley.
Source: BBC
