Toronto anti-vax bro Chris Sky banned from Instagram
Throughout the pandemic, voices from the far-right have been gaining traction with their crazy COVID-19 conspiracies, but one figurehead in this so-called "freedom movement" has been fading from relevance in recent months, and now he's been booted from Instagram.
Christopher Saccoccia, better known as Chris Sky, has cemented himself as a figurehead in this fringe movement, but his recent shenanigans have apparently become less effective in riling up his supporters.
With his failed attempt to disrupt mass transit and an infamous self-doxxing incident, it must be harder for his far-right audience to take him seriously.
A cringeworthy viral video seemed to capture the precise moment the Sky train went off the rails, and since that November event where he berated his followers, he's quickly faded from relevance.
The latest blow to his online presence came when his IG account was banned, reported to be his fourth such ousting from the platform after previous accounts were given the boot. His original account — which amassed almost a quarter-million followers — was banned last April. Replacement accounts followed, but so did the bans.
LOL byeeee 👋🏽 pic.twitter.com/OwWvhbRNrk
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Commentator (@CarymaRules) December 23, 2021
Lawyer and political activist Caryma S'ad says that the April ban came in the wake of Sky targeting her with harassment from his followers, and his second account was deleted soon after, kicking off what now feels like a game of online whac-a-mole.
S'ad tells blogTO that Sky "recently posted a screenshot to his IG Stories with a warning that his account may be deleted, which showed that posts had been removed for bullying/harassment and hate speech/symbols."
In doing so, S'ad thinks that "it's possible this may have galvanized his anti-fan club to be more vigilant about reporting his account. Ultimately, he was the author of his own demise by failing to adhere to the Community Guidelines and getting caught."
Despite frequent in-person and online run-ins with Sky, S'ad says that she doesn't hold any personal animus towards the loudmouth figurehead, though she doesn't hold back in calling him "nothing more than a sad, little man."
Shots. Fired.
"I think his behaviour is reprehensible, and I have real concerns about his dangerous (and occasionally violent) rhetoric," said S'ad, continuing to say that, "still, this feels like an early Christmas gift."
But even with his IG account out of the mix, Sky remains active on platforms like Twitter and Telegram, the latter a popular gathering place for alt-right and 'COVID-truther' circles.
S'ad notes "there's a lot less activity on his Telegram channel than there used to be, and much of it is spam."
She thinks this is likely blowback from Sky insulting supporters of other alt-right communities he disagrees with, S'ad saying that "many of the volunteer moderators have jumped ship."
Chris Sky has made his disdain for social media known, raising funds through supporters several months ago with the intention of creating his own censorship-free platform.
"He made a big show about posting images of a receipt for a $7,500 cash retainer to a lawyer who would be drafting the shareholder agreement," said S'ad. "He has delayed announcements and updates about the site, leaving many wondering whether it was simply a grift."
"With his fourth account banned, it sure would come in handy now," remarks S'ad.
Join the conversation Load comments