Left-wing news site Novara Media has angrily defended its right to free speech after YouTube took down its video channel.
The website issued a statement after the Big Tech giant , owned by Google, deleted its account on Tuesday morning.
Those trying to view the channel and its videos saw only a message reading: "This account has been terminated due to multiple or severe violations of YouTube's policy against spam, deceptive practices, and misleading content or other Terms of Service violations".
"Novara Media is among the top 50 most-watched news and politics channels in the UK", it read. "We play an important public service role and regularly feature interviews with politicians, human rights campaigners, scientists and activists from around the world".
"We call on YouTube to immediately reinstate our account", the statement concluded.
Novara co-founder Aaron Bastani said YouTube had offered no explanation and pointed out that the outlet was already governed by the independent media regulator IMPRESS.
Contributing editor Ash Sarkar later tweeted that the site's channel had been restored, and thanked "everyone who supported us in these panicky two hours".
But some commentators in the media highlighted Novara's hypocrisy, pointing out that the site's head of video Gary McQuiggin had previously supported Twitter's permanent ban on right-wing commentator Katie Hopkins in June 2020, while Sarkar backed the "cancelling" of veteran journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan earlier this year over his criticism of Prince Harry and his wife the Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
But Novara also won unlikely support from titles The Sun and The Spectator, and political gossip site Guido Fawkes.