YouTube Finally Deletes Papacito’s Channel, Here’s Why

A month after yet another provocation, and in a context where the far right is increasingly openly threatening French mayors, YouTube has finally decided to apply its own rules.

Papacito, the videographer who had made a neighborhood story in a village of 200 inhabitants a personal affair, to the point of physically threatening the mayor, ended up losing his YouTube channel. If the platform justifies itself by explaining that it had clearly violated the rules enacted, one is entitled to wonder what could have taken so long.

Recall of facts

A few months ago, a farmer from Montjoi had a neighborhood dispute settled against him by the village mayor. After being sentenced for having sequestered the said mayor, the man finally turns to the youtubeur Papacito. This far-right videographer, with 200,000 subscribers on his channel, does not need to be asked to intervene. He then decided to directly attack Christian Eurgal, the 75-year-old mayor of this small village in Tarn-et-Garonne.

It begins with an hour-long video posted last November in which he criticizes the mayor’s decision. He calls for harassment to repeatedly explain to the elected official how wrong he was. We are talking here about intimidation, death threats and insulting tags even on the facade of his house, to the point that the city councilor is placed under police protection.

But not yet satisfied, Papacito does it again last May with a new video of more than 40 minutes in which he goes directly to the scene, threatens the mayor and compares him to a weasel who should be tracked down and chased away. He concludes this visit with a sinister scene in which a giant weasel stuffed animal is beaten up and raped. Both videos have surpassed 500,000 views.

YouTube procrastinates and alienates everyone

Finally, especially after the multiple complaints filed by the mayor of Montjoi, YouTube ended up deleting the channel of the far-right videographer this Friday, June 9. In a press release, YouTube France explains the decision as follows: Harassment and cyberbullying are not allowed on YouTube and we have clear policies that prohibit content in which insults or threats are repeatedly or maliciously made against individuals. “A justification that was already true a month ago, and just as much last November…

Indeed, the videos concerned could hardly correspond to this description. It remains to be seen why YouTube waited a month after Papacito’s last video, and more than seven months after the first on this case, to react. By doing so, the platform, yet so quick to censor nipples and demonetize swear words, manages the feat of not satisfying anyone. Of course, on the side of Papacito fans, there is a cry for freedom to intimidate and harass. On the side of Christian Eurgal, this decision obviously comes much too late, because most of the harassment had surely passed.

Still, since this weekend, the SVoD platform has been a bit more peaceful place.

Sources: The world, 20 minutes