The podcasts of the far-right essayist Alain Sorial have been removed from the Spotify streaming platform for “non-compliance with its content policy,” Spotify France told AFP on Wednesday.
“Spotify has decided to delete the podcasts and has blocked the ERFM (the online radio of Equality and Reconciliation, political group co-founded by Alain Soral, editor’s note) account of its platform due to non-compliance with its content policy,” Spotify France told AFP, confirming an information the Fact & Furious website.
The platform did not specify the exact reasons for this exclusion. In its moderation policy, Spotify says in particular to prohibit content that “incites violence or hatred”, or those that promote “dangerous, false or misleading medical information”.
The network is under intense criticism
Globally, Spotify, which is a Swedish company, has in recent days been the subject of strong criticism about its moderation policy.
Folk rock legend Neil Young thus took the lead in a boycott movement, blaming the streaming giant for hosting the podcast of the hugely popular but controversial American host Joe Rogan. The latter is accused of spreading misinformation about Covid-19 and making racist remarks.
Neil Young was followed by Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell, leading to a movement on social networks to unsubscribe from Spotify. And Britain’s Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan Markle – who have signed an estimated $25 million deal with the platform – have expressed “their concerns” to the Swedish giant.
In an attempt to put out the fire, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced the introduction, in all his podcasts evoking the Covid, of links that will guide users to factual and scientifically sourced information.
In October 2021: Alain Soral definitively sentenced for Holocaust denial
Alain Soral denounces a “censorship”
In France, Alain Soral has already been sentenced about twenty times, largely for offences of inciting hatred, defamation and anti-Semitic insult.
At the beginning of February, conspiracy theorist Tristan Mendès-France had challenged, on Twitter, Spotify and other podcast platforms by accusing them of hosting Alain Sorial’s media.
On its website, Equality and Reconciliation called his ouster “expeditious Zionist justice”, denouncing “censorship”.
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