YouTube removes RT’s German channels for “Covid misinformation”
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 12.53 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

YouTube has deleted the German language channel of the state-backed Russian broadcaster RT.

The Google-owned site said RT had violated its Covid misinformation policy. Visitors attempting to access the site are presented with an error message.

Initially YouTube had issued a week-long ban to RT, only for the broadcaster to continue distribution through a second channel, leading to the complete ban to be introduced.

Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal executive agency responsible for the media, then sent a letter to Google demanding that the site be restored, or it would issue a 1 million rouble fine.

Responding to the ban in a Tweet, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT, said: “This is a real media war declared by the state of Germany to the state of Russia,” adding that Russia should retaliate by banning German language channels.

YouTube says that it “doesn’t allow content about COVID-19 that poses a serious risk of extreme harm.”