Image copyright Twitter Image caption The Britain First Twitter account and that of its two leaders have been blocked 
 
 Twitter has suspended the accounts of two leaders of a British far-right group shortly after revising its rules on hate speech. 
 
 Paul Golding, Britain First's leader, and Jayda Fransen, his deputy, can no longer tweet and their past posts no longer appear. 
 
 The organisation's official Twitter page has suffered the same fate. 
 
 It appears that three of Ms Fransen's posts that President Trump retweeted have gone from his feed as a result. 
 
 The messages had featured anti-Muslim videos and proved highly controversial when the American leader shared them in November. 
 
 British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said it had been "wrong for the president to have done this". 
 
 Ms Fransen and Mr Golding were arrested earlier this week over separate behaviour relating to Northern Ireland. 
 
 Restricted swastikas 
 
 Twitter announced in October that it planned to take a tougher stance against hate symbols as well as those who posted messages that glorified or condoned violence. 
 
 It has now said that those who express an affiliation with groups that use or celebrate violence to achieve their aims will be permanently suspended. 
 
 Hateful imagery - such as the Nazi swastika - can still be posted, but will initially be hidden behind a "sensitive media" warning, that visitors must disable to proceed. However, such content will no longer be allowed on a person's profile page. 
 
 Those that featured examples will be asked to remove them. Repeat violators will be banned. 
 
 The company said the move would "reduce the amount of abusive behaviour and hateful conduct" on the network. 
 
 "If an account's profile information includes a violent threat or multiple slurs, epithets, racist or sexist tropes, incites fear, or reduces someone to less than human, it will be permanently suspended," it explained. 
 
 "We plan to develop internal tools to help us identify violating accounts to supplement user reports." 
 
 Twitter has promised a more robust system to appeal against decisions, but said that it was still in development. 
 
 US bans 
 
 The company is not commenting about the action it is taking against individual accounts citing "privacy and security reasons". 
 
 That has left it to others to play detective and report who else has been suspended. Many are using the hashtag #twitterpurge to do so. 
 
 US accounts that appear to have fallen foul of the new rules include: 
 
 Jared Taylor, head of American Renaissance, a website that champions "racial difference" 
 
 Michael Hill and Hunter Wallace - leader and public relations chief, respectively, of the League of the South, which is described as a "hate group" by civil rights campaigners at the Southern Poverty Law Center 
 
 the American Nazi Party, which had tweeted it was "inevitable that we will be banned" at the weekend 
 
 the Traditionalist Worker Party, a white supremacist group 
 
 End Time Paradigm, an account that specialised in anti-Semitic content 
 
 Several other members of the so-called alt-right have tweeted that fans should sign up to Gab.ai - a social network that pitches itself as a free speech alternative to Twitter - if they too are suspended. 
 
 Generation Identity, a pan-European nationalist group that opened a British branch last month, has also had its UK and Ireland Twitter account suspended. ||||| Twitter on Monday suspended the account of a top official of a far-right British group whose anti-Muslim videos President Trump retweeted last month, amid the company's move to crack down on content that promotes hate or threatens violence against people or groups. 
 
 The implementation of Twitter's new rules was the latest attempt by technology companies to crack down on abuses of their platforms in the aftermath of Charlottesville’s bloody demonstration in August. Though Twitter’s announcement in a morning blog post did not make this connection explicit, companies have been scrambling for months to address allegations that their platforms had become breeding grounds for extremist groups. 
 
 Far-right political figures have been criticizing these moves as assaults on their rights to free speech, and some have called Twitter’s new policy part of an effort to “purge” them. Among those whose accounts went offline Monday were three affiliated with the group Britain First, including its main account and those maintained by its leader, Paul Golding, and his deputy Jayda Fransen. It was her anti-Muslim posts last month that were retweeted by President Trump, a move that earned him sharp rebuke from British Prime Minister Theresa May. 
 
 The White House declined to comment on the suspension of the accounts of Fransen and others. 
 
 Britain First also did not reply to requests for comment but, according to a CNBC report, said in an email to members, "Twitter is now only available to those on the 'left' of politics. This latest attack on our movement demonstrates that 'free speech' is only available to those who do not criticize socialism or Islam." 
 
 Late last month, after Trump retweeted three of Fransen’s videos, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that his action was intended to “elevate the conversation” about the issues of “extreme violence and terrorism.” 
 
 The three videos Trump shared were provocatively titled “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!”, “Muslim destroys a statue of Virgin Mary!” and “Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!” The videos provided no context, and the Netherlands Embassy said that the one about a “Muslim migrant” actually featured a perpetrator born and raised in the Netherlands. 
 
 Following Trump’s retweets, Fransen touted the U.S. president’s promotion of her videos. “Donald Trump himself has retweeted these videos and has around 44 million followers!” she tweeted. “God Bless You Trump! God Bless America!” 
 
 Also suspended by Twitter Monday were accounts for the group American Renaissance, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an extremist group, and its leader, Jared Taylor. 
 
 In a statement Monday, American Renaissance said: "Twitter said it has begun enforcing new rules against 'hateful and abusive content.' American Renaissance and Jared Taylor violate none of those rules. Anyone familiar with our work recognizes that we present our dissident political views with civility. We have never even hinted at anything that could be seen as condoning violence or illegality, nor do we associate with those who do. We’ve taken special care to abide by Twitter’s terms of service–old and new." 
 
 [Trump’s retweets elevate a tiny fringe group of anti-Muslim activists in Britain] 
 
 Twitter Monday declined to specify which accounts it suspended or how many. 
 
 According to its new rules, “violent extremist groups” will be prohibited from having accounts on the network. The new guidelines target accounts from groups that explicitly call for violence against individuals or ethnic and other social groups, for example, or make clear that their main objective is to promote violence. Twitter is also going to crack down on hateful imagery such as symbols and logos, which appear in users’ profile pictures or cover photos. Users who break these rules will have one opportunity to fix it; if they violate the rules again, their accounts will be suspended. 
 
 The company will decide which groups meet its definition of a violent extremist group by consulting nonprofit organizations, governments and other experts. Any individual account or tweet that promotes violence against someone will prompt Twitter to suspend that account — temporarily or permanently, depending on how that user has acted in the past. 
 
 Twitter critics have repeatedly called on the company to crack down more on hateful language, imagery and calls for violence spread through its site. But the problem came to a head recently as Twitter has grappled with the growing presence of hate groups on its network — and criticism that it’s allowing hateful rhetoric to spread unchecked. After the company verified the account of Jason Kessler, one of the main organizers of the Charlottesville rally, it then reversed its decision and said it would reevaluate its process for choosing the accounts it authenticates. Kessler's account remains online. 
 
 The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement praising Twitter's crackdown on Monday. "We have long urged Twitter to push back against hateful and violent rhetoric, and these latest actions are encouraging," the group said. 
 
 [Twitter attacked after it verifies account of Charlottesville rally organizer] 
 
 While Twitter has not yet announced new rules around verification, the new guidelines do more closely govern what individual users can post to their profiles. 
 
 The effect of these rules will depends on how Twitter enforces them. The company did not offer further details about how it will consider these rules in conjunction with its “newsworthiness” standard, which has been the company’s explanation for why it has not removed certain tweets from Trump’s account that would otherwise violate its rules for conduct. 
 
 [Twitter users want Trump’s account suspended for ‘threatening violence’ against North Korea] 
 
 In addition to changing its policies, the company is also changing the way it describes some of its rules to users. The company’s “Help Center,” which is the main resource for Twitter users looking for information about its rules, will now also include a “rationale” section that explains more about how Twitter arrived at its policies and how it enforces them. 
 
 Twitter acknowledged that these rules alone won’t come close to fixing everything wrong with the social network, and even cautioned that its efforts to be more strict could result in disciplining some people who haven't broken the rules in the process. 
 
 “In our efforts to be more aggressive here, we may make some mistakes and are working on a robust appeals process,” the company’s blog post said, adding that it will continue evolving its rules based on user feedback. 
 
 John Wagner and David Weigel contributed to this report. ||||| Prime minister’s spokesperson says president was wrong to share tweets from Jayda Fransen, who faces harassment charges 
 
 Donald Trump retweeted a handful of anti-Muslim videos posted by the deputy leader of a British far-right group, prompting a rare condemnation of the US president by Theresa May whose official spokesperson called Trump’s actions wrong. 
 
 
 
 One of the videos Trump highlighted to his 43.6 million Twitter followers from the feed of Jaydan Fransen of Britain First purported to show a group of Muslims pushing a boy off a roof. Another claimed to show a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a third claimed to show a Muslim immigrant hitting a Dutch boy on crutches. 
 
 The credibility of the last video was immediately undermined when the the Dutch embassy in the US said the perpetrator of the violent act in the video was born and raised in the Netherlands. 
 
 By retweeting Britain First, Trump offends a decency he cannot understand | Brendan Cox Read more 
 
 The US president retweeted the videos without comment, before turning to more familiar territory, suggesting a boycott of “Fake News CNN”, celebrating the level of the stock market, and commenting on the firing of NBC anchor Matt Lauer. 
 
 Trump’s decision to share the tweets was labelled “abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our country” by the Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, while several other members of parliament said his planned state visit should be cancelled. 
 
 Fransen, 31, is deputy leader of Britain First, a minor anti-Islam party with an estimated 1,000 followers that has had no electoral success. Fransen lost her deposit when she stood for parliament in a 2014 byelection, receiving just 56 votes. 
 
 She has been charged with using threatening or abusive language following an appearance at a far-right rally in Belfast this summer. She is due to appear at a Belfast court next month. 
 
 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Britain First deputy leader, Jayda Fransen. Photograph: Ben Stevens/PA 
 
 Theresa May’s spokesman said on Wednesday: “Britain First seeks to divide communities by their use of hateful narratives that peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people. British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right which is the antithesis of the values this country represents, decency, tolerance and respect.” 
 
 But despite criticising Trump, No 10 rejected calls from Labour MPs, including David Lammy and Chuka Umunna, to revoke the US president’s invitation to pay a state visit to Britain. May’s spokesman said: “The invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted. Further details will be announced in due course.” 
 
 Sajid Javid, the only Muslim cabinet minister, tweeted: 
 
 Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing 
 
 Britain First was deregistered by the Electoral Commission this month after it failed to pay a routine £25 fee, which means it cannot place candidates on ballot papers under the party name. 
 
 
 
 Thomas Mair, who murdered the Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox one week before the EU referendum in 2016, shouted “Britain first!” when he fired his gun. Cox’s widower, Brendan, said on Wednesday that Trump “should be ashamed of himself”. 
 
 He accused Trump of spreading hatred and trying to legitimise the far right in Britain. 
 
 Brendan Cox (@MrBrendanCox) Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself. 
 
 Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, described Trump’s decision to share the tweets as “deeply disturbing” and urged him to make a statement “to make clear his opposition to racism and hatred in all forms”. 
 
 Justin Welby ن (@JustinWelby) I join the urgent call for President @realDonaldTrump to remove his Britain First retweets and make clear his opposition to racism and hatred. https://t.co/JosYO7vwEG pic.twitter.com/v66KQVtWQq 
 
 Fransen was delighted with the attention, which prompted her Twitter following to grow by more than 10,000. “Thanks for the retweets @realDonaldTrump,” she said. “I’m facing prison for criticising Islam. Britain is now Sharia compliant, I need your help!” 
 
 The White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, dismissed concerns about the credibility of the videos, telling reporters: “Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real. [Trump’s] goal is to promote strong border security and strong national security.” 
 
 She added: “The threat is real, the threat needs to be addressed and the threat has to be talked about and that’s what the president is doing in bringing that up.” 
 
 Q&A Who are Britain First? Show Hide Britain First is an Islamophobic group​ run by convicted racists.​ It was founded in 2011 by former members of the far-right British National Party (BNP) and loyalist extremists in Northern Ireland. It organises mosque invasions where followers, often dressed in paramilitary uniforms, raid multicultural areas in the UK. The group has an influential presence on Facebook and actively uses social media to publicise anti-Islamic material. 
 
 
 
 Its leader, Paul Golding, a former BNP councillor, and his deputy Jayda Fransen have been arrested several times.​ Fransen was found guilty in November 2016 of religiously aggravated harassment after she hurled abuse at a Muslim woman wearing a hijab.​ A month later Golding was ​jailed for eight weeks for breaching a court order banning him from entering a mosque. Rightwing terrorist Thomas Mair shouted “Britain first” before killing the MP Jo Cox during the EU referendum campaign in 2016. 
 
 The Islamophobic videos were originally tweeted by Fransen on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning before being picked up by Trump. They were not sequentially posted, meaning the president would have had to scroll through her timeline before picking out which videos to retweet. 
 
 The Muslim Council of Britain had urged the prime minister to distance herself from Trump over the comments. In a statement the umbrella body for British Muslims said: “This is the clearest endorsement yet from the US president of the far-right and their vile anti-Muslim propaganda. We cannot give such bigotry a free pass.” 
 
 Trump has often used his Twitter account to promote dubious figures. Earlier this week, he highlighted a website called MagaPill which promotes a variety of conspiracies. He has also used his account to retweet a Mussolini quote, to share a post from the account @whitegenocidetm and to circulate false and racially inflammatory crime statistics. 
 
 When asked in 2015, he said that he considered retweets endorsements. “You know, I retweet, I retweet for a reason.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 Additional reporting by Jon Henley and Daniel Boffey
– Twitter suspended three accounts belonging to a far-right group in Britain on Monday, a development that might not have made headlines if not for the group's connection to President Trump. Last month, the president set off a controversy when he retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by Jayda Fransen of the anti-immigration group Britain First. Fransen boasted of Trump's retweets at the time, but she won't be able to post anything new for a while: Her account and at least two others linked to her group are now suspended, reports CNN. Twitter says it will not comment about decisions made regarding particular accounts, per the BBC, but the move comes just as the site announced that it was enforcing new rules to curb "hateful conduct and abusive behavior." It's not clear whether the Britain First accounts will be allowed to resurface. "If an account's profile information includes a violent threat or multiple slurs, epithets, racist or sexist tropes, incites fear, or reduces someone to less than human, it will be permanently suspended," reads a company post. The crackdown is part of Twitter's move to rein in what it sees as abusive content in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., notes the Washington Post.