Spotify has removed a number of white supremacist acts after the Southern Poverty Law Center branded them as racist "hate bands".

The streaming service said that while record labels and aggregators were "at first hand" responsible for delivering artists to Spotify, "illegal content or material that favours hatred or incites violence against race, religion, sexuality or the like is not tolerated by us".

A spokesperson told Billboard: "Spotify takes immediate action to remove any such material as soon as it has been brought to our attention.

"We are glad to have been alerted to this content - and have already removed many of the bands identified today, whilst urgently reviewing the remainder."

Spotify has also been pushing a playlist called 'Patriotic Passion' - described as "a soundtrack to an America worth fighting for".

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Spotify's decision to remove the white supremacist bands comes after an article on Digital Music News criticised the presence of the acts on the service.

Paul Resnikoff wrote in the piece titled 'I Just Found 27 White Supremacist Hate Bands On Spotify': "In the wake of violent clashes in Charlottesville and an increasingly vocal, post-Trump white supremacy voice, the presence of white supremacy music on Spotify takes on a different light."

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

The US President caused uproar after his remarks about the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he referred to certain particpants of a protest whose attendees had included white supremacists, neo-Nazis and members of the KKK as "very fine people".

Senator John McCain criticised Trump's ambivalence when discussing far-white protesters and those who formed a counter-protest against fascism.

"There's no moral ecquivalency between racists and Americans standing up to defy hate and bigotry," he said. "The President of the United States should say so."

He was backed up by Jeb Bush, a former Republican presidential candidate, who said: "This is a time for moral clarity, not ambivalence. I urge President Trump to unite the country, not parse the assignment of blame for the events in Charlottesville.

"For the sake of our country, he must leave no room for doubt that racism and hatred will not be tolerated or ignored by the White House."