A white supremacist is suing Twitter for allegedly violating his right to free speech.

Jared Taylor, the creator of white supremacist website American Renaissance, has filed suit against the social media company for kicking him off the platform late last year. In the suit, attorneys for Mr Taylor argue that the company banned his account “based solely on his controversial viewpoints and perceived affiliations,” causing “irreparable harm” to the writer and his business.

“Mr Taylor and American Renaissance were targeted for permanent suspension from Twitter due to nothing more than their controversial views on race and immigration – the subjective perception that they are ‘racist’ and ‘extremist'," the lawsuit states.

Twitter’s actions, it adds, “threaten the free speech of all users on its platform”.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company does not discuss individual cases for privacy and security reasons.

News of the lawsuit comes as other far-right and white supremacist users claimed they, too, were being kicked off of the platform, spurring the hashtag #TwitterLockout.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at California’s Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Mr Taylor’s account was banned in December, when Twitter enacted new policies on “violent extremist groups” in response to complaints about white supremacist and neo-Nazi views being espoused on the platform.

The writer claims that when he enquired with Twitter about his account being removed, the company told him that he had violated the Terms of Service, "specifically the Twitter Rules against being affiliated with a violent extremist group”.

A black man went undercover as a digital white supremacist. This is what he learned

Mr Taylor has denied being a racist or white supremacist, but defines himself as a “race realist” and “advocate for white interests”. He has previously argued on American Renaissance that “when blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western civilization – any kind of civilization – disappears."

In his lawsuit, however, Mr Taylors claims that he has never advocated for violence, citing a Southern Poverty Law Centre report that says he “projects himself as a courtly presenter of ideas” and that American Renaissance “scrupulously avoid[s] racial epithets”.

The report, which Mr Taylor does not cite in full, also notes that American Renaissance conferences “have attracted a broad spectrum of the participants from the racist right, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists, Holocaust deniers and eugenicists”.

Twitter has struggled in recent years with how to combat hate speech on its platform without curtailing free speech rights. The roll-out of the news rules in December was heralded by some as progress, while others claimed they were unfairly targeted by the crackdown.

In the same week Mr Taylor filed his suit, other far-right users claimed they had been temporarily locked out of their accounts. Others claimed their followers had been “purged” overnight, as Twitter shut down sympathetic accounts.

"I've lost close to 1,000 followers offer the past few hours," prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer tweeted. "Major purge underway."

The problem appears to have stemmed from Twitter’s attempt to reduce the number of fake accounts and bots on the site.

The company said in a statement that it was working to remove malicious and fake accounts from its service. This process included asking users to confirm a phone number for the account so they can “confirm a human is behind it".

“Note that when an account is locked and being challenged to provide a phone number, it is removed from follower counts until it provides a phone number,” spokeswoman Emily Horne said. “This is part of our ongoing, comprehensive efforts to make Twitter safer and healthier for everyone.”