WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 14: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2018 in Washington, DC. During the press conference, Paul announced his opposition to the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as U.S. President Donald Trump's new Secretary of State, and also his opposition to Gina Haspel as the new Director of the CIA. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, YouTube suspended Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), deleting one of his videos and blocking him from uploading content for seven days, after the senator released a video criticizing the efficacy of mask mandates for slowing the spread of COVID-19.
This is not the first time that the senator has been banned from the platform. He has frequently published controversial claims about the COVID-19 response while regularly criticizing the nation’s top health adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
YouTube’s spokesperson on Tuesday stated that Paul’s newly released video infringed upon the company’s policy against spreading misinformation regarding the coronavirus, which includes banning “claims that masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction or transmission of Covid-19.”
“We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
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Paul’s controversial video, which YouTube has now removed, challenges the efficacy of cloth-based masks.
“They don’t prevent infection,” Paul said at one point in his YouTube video. “Trying to shape human behavior isn’t the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks don’t work.”
Following YouTube’s decision, Paul blamed leftwing media for censoring his scientifically valid statements rather than apologizing.
“I think this kind of censorship is very dangerous, incredibly anti-free speech, and truly anti-progress of science, which involves skepticism and argumentation to arrive at the truth,” Paul said in a statement.
Paul also sarcastically claimed that his seven-day ban is “a badge of honor” by “leftwing cretins.”
“A badge of honor . . . leftwing cretins at YouTube banning me for 7 days for a video that quotes 2 peer-reviewed articles saying cloth masks don’t work. If you want to see the banned video go to Liberty Tree,” Paul tweeted.
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