\u201cIt wasn\u2019t aimed at anyone. It wasn\u2019t hate. It was Tourette\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Zealand content creator Leighton Clarke, better known as Uncle Tics, says he spent seven years building a 4.7 million-strong following on TikTok before he was banned.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old, who lives in Hamilton with wife Olivia, said the sudden ban highlighted the \u201cbrutal reality of living\u201d with Tourette\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the very thing you are trying to raise awareness about is the exact thing that gets you punished. <\/p>\n
\u201cSeven years of work, thousands of videos, a community of millions, my livelihood, all wiped out in a moment because of a neurological condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clarke, expressing gratitude to his fans for their support over the years, said he\u2019d already created a second account but was seeking a \u201cproper review\u201d of TikTok\u2019s decision to ensure his vocal tic wasn\u2019t taken out of the context of his condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis might be the end of the account. But it\u2019s not the end of Uncle Tics,\u201d Clarke said.<\/p>\n
Olivia called the ban \u201ctruly heartbreaking\u201d, telling her followers Clarke had worked \u201cincredibly hard\u201d to raise awareness and educate people on what life is like with Tourette\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Clarke says a single vocal tic during a TikTok livestream triggered his permanent ban from the platform. Photo \/ @uncletics<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully @tiktok @tiktok_australia carefully reviews the appeal and understands that the content that led to this ban is directly related to his disability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese tics can be deeply upsetting and embarrassing for Leighton, and banning him permanently for something outside of his control is incredibly unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last month, Clarke had his Local Hero nomination at the New Zealander of the Year Awards rescinded for producing content that \u201cwasn\u2019t consistent\u201d with the values underpinning the awards, the organisers said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Clarke told ex-boxer Dave Letele on his Unfiltered podcast the withdrawal came after backlash to two videos he\u2019d posted following his nomination<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ban from TikTok comes after last week\u2019s Bafta Awards, where Tourette\u2019s activist John Davidson inadvertently made headlines when he interrupted the ceremony\u2019s live broadcast<\/a> with a racial slur.<\/p>\n Davidson\u2019s tics first presented at the ceremony with him yelling \u201cshut the f*** up\u201d during Bafta chairwoman Sara Putt\u2019s opening remarks.<\/p>\n He later said the N-word while actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were presenting the evening\u2019s first prize.<\/p>\n