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YouTube paid neo-Nazi thousands of pounds while profiting from videos that promote white supremacy

Mark Collett’s videos appeared alongside paid-for comments that trumpeted racist and antisemitic views

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A neo-Nazi earned thousands from YouTube, which profited from him allowing people to promote their racist comments alongside his videos.

Mark Collett, a former British National Party (BNP) official – who previously praised Adolf Hitler and was arrested for inciting racial hatred – is one of several far-right commentators to profit from Super Chat, a revenue tool owned by Google.

Super Chat allows fans to pay for their comments to appear more prominently in the live chat next to YouTube videos and live streams.

Mr Collett has generated 95,000 subscribers and 10 million views on YouTube as a right-wing activist. His videos cover topics including “The Jewish Question Explained in 4 Minutes” and “White Genocide Explained”.

According to Storyful, Mr Collett has earned £7,265.93 from 36 videos which include livestreamed discussions with form Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke and white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Most of the money goes to Mr Collett but YouTube takes an estimated 30 per cent.

Those who paid to post comments next to the videos include a user in England who gave £10 to write: “I wouldn’t hesitate for a second in fighting for the 4th Reich”.

An American paid $5 to write “Hollywood is run by Jews” and “Jews hate Jesus”.

Last year, the Anti-Defamation League labelled Mr Collett a "white supremacist". Anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate have said he has claimed a "white genocide" is taking place in Britain.

Mark Gardner, from antisemitism watchdog CST, told the JC: “It is disgraceful that someone should profit from this.

"YouTube has made a big deal about how it is supposedly clamping down on hosting white supremacist material, so this is all seems quite ridiculous.”

A YouTube spokesperson told the JC: “We do not allow videos or comments that incite hatred on YouTube and work hard to remove content that violates our policies quickly, using a combination of human flagging and review and smart detection technology.

“Any revenue YouTube receives for Super Chats of content that we learn are abusive will be donated to charity.

"This channel has both been blocked for ads and earning revenue from features like Super Chat... due to violation of our policies.”

Asked if it would suspend Mr Collett’s account, YouTube did not respond.

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