YouTube shuts down far-right videographer Papacito’s channel

YouTube France announced on Friday June 9 in a press release that it had closed, after several warnings, the channel of far-right videographer Papacito. The influencer, already banned from Twitter in 2021, had released a series of videos on YouTube at the end of May, attacking the mayor of Montjoi (Tarn-et-Garonne), Christian Eurgal. The latter had to be placed under police protection following death threats following this broadcast.

“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”explained YouTube France in its press release. “After review, we have removed several videos from Papacito’s channel for violating this policy”, added the platform, recalling that it provides three successive warnings before closing. Papacito, real name Ugo Gil Jimenez, had 260,000 subscribers on YouTube and Instagram.

He attacked the unlabeled mayor of Montjoi, a small town of 190 inhabitants, in a video in which he called the 75-year-old elected official a “weasel” who should be chased out of the village. In his video entitled “Infestation of weasels in Montjoi”, seen more than 478,000 times on Youtube, the influencer took the side of a pig farmer in the village, in dispute with his British neighbor over the use of a path . Death threats were then made by email to the elected official, on the town hall’s telephone message or on social networks in particular. The Montauban public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.