As anti-American rioting continues tonight in as many as 20 countries around the world, the White House has finally decided to make a definitive display of power — against YouTube. And YouTube isn’t backing down.
As Twitchy reported earlier, the White House contacted YouTube and requested they review the video which the Obama administration insists is responsible for sparking the attacks against several American diplomatic outposts. Press secretary Jay Carney told reporters today that the riots were “in response not to United States policy, and not to, obviously, the administration,” even as mobs in Gaza burned the American flag and an effigy of President Obama.
Choosing to get tough against a video rather than the mob is certainly the easier course, but not even Google, owner of YouTube, seemed intimated by this administration. A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement:
We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions. This can be a challenge because what’s OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere. This video — which is widely available on the Web — is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube.
So apparently google won't take the video down…let's all go attack google's embassy!
What?
— Amani Massoud (@amassouda) September 14, 2012
White House can't even get Google to remove the #stupidmovie but Clinton is demanding protection of all US Embassies at risk
— Per Firdous al-Buyun (@lissnup) September 15, 2012
Can you imagine the outcry from the so-called 'civil liberties' crowd if the Bush administration had pressured YouTube to remove videos?
— big tuna (@keder) September 14, 2012
Recommended
https://twitter.com/kesgardner/status/246776930102292481
YouTube stands up for freedom of speech by refusing to remove "THE VIDEO". Obama and Clinton pass the blame again. What's new?
— Susan (@SasieSuzie) September 15, 2012
https://twitter.com/Sky_Bluez/status/246754774102470657
https://twitter.com/libertyideals/status/246788289997193217
Note to WH: Your artistic and moral viewpoint on that anti-Islam YouTube video is irrelevant. Your opinion on free speech is the issue.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 15, 2012
For the moment, at least, it seems that Google is a greater champion of First Amendment rights than the White House, and that’s a very awkward position for Americans to be in, considering YouTube’s recent history of censoring videos which criticize Islam. That, coupled with desperate calls for the filmmaker to be jailed immediately, remind us that freedom of speech is perhaps in as much need of defense at home as our embassies are overseas.
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