Two Norfolk tribute acts were among those protesting outside the London offices of Facebook following an “unfair” ban from the site which they say is damaging their careers and livelihoods.

The celebrity impersonators Lee Raymond (who plays George Michael) and Lucy Rose Smith (who plays Britney Spears) were protesting an update to Meta’s community standards, which bans accounts “pretending to be someone famous”.

It has resulted in many tribute acts losing accounts which had thousands of followers used for promotion and ticket sales.

Eastern Daily Press: Lee Raymond as George Michael and Lucy Rose Smith as Britney SpearsLee Raymond as George Michael and Lucy Rose Smith as Britney Spears (Image: PA)

Lucy Rose Smith, sporting a version of the bejewelled green-blue costume worn at the 2001 VMAs, held a sign directed at Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and made reference to her 2003 hit Toxic.

It read: “Zuck, your politics are toxic.”

Ms Smith said: “We are professional impersonators and it’s our full-time job, so for us it’s a very big deal, half of our workload has completely disappeared basically.

Eastern Daily Press: Impersonators at the protest included Freddie Mercury, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and AdeleImpersonators at the protest included Freddie Mercury, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and Adele (Image: PA)

“I’ve had to restart my pages three times now. I’ve had to restart Absolute Britney, try new versions of it to see if maybe putting different words in my titles works.

“So, it’s a lot of time and effort, a lot of money been wasted and I’ve had a lot of shows cancelled, a lot of clients lost and a lot of fans gone, so it has affected me massively.”

And Lee, an impersonator for the late Grammy Award-winning singer George Michael held a sign which read: “We want freedom, lift the ban,” referencing his 1990 song Freedom!.

Eastern Daily Press: The protestors held signs inspired by song lyricsThe protestors held signs inspired by song lyrics (Image: PA)

Violating the new community standards puts any tribute act or professional impersonator using Facebook or Instagram at risk of being banned from the platform.

The policy states: “We don’t allow people on Facebook to pretend to be someone well-known or speak for them without permission.”

Other signs at the protest included “Let us work 9-5" by a Dolly Parton tribute act and “I want to break free from your poorly thought through politics" by a Freddie Mercury tribute act.