Far-right activist Tommy Robinson permanently banned by Facebook and Instagram

In a statement, Facebook said: "One of the biggest questions we face is around what we allow on Facebook - and we spend a lot of time trying to get this right. This is hard and critically important. We want Facebook to be a place where you can express yourself freely and share openly with friends and family. At the same time, when people come to Facebook we always want them to feel welcome and safe.

"This is something we take incredibly seriously. So when ideas and opinions cross the line and amount to hate speech that may create an environment of intimidation and exclusion for certain groups in society - in some cases with potentially dangerous offline implications - we take action. Our public Community Standards state this sort of speech is not acceptable on Facebook - and when we become aware of it, we remove it as quickly as we can. Our rules also make clear that individuals and organisations that are engaged in "organised hate" are not allowed on the platform, and that praise or support for these figures and groups is also banned. This is true regardless of the ideology they espouse.

"Tommy Robinson's Facebook Page has repeatedly broken these standards, posting material that uses dehumanising language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims. He has also behaved in ways that violate our policies around organised hate. As a result, in accordance with our policies, we have removed Tommy Robinson's official Facebook Page and Instagram profile. This is not a decision we take lightly, but individuals and organisations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram."