I doubt you understood them. Buddhists don’t worship Buddha idols or anyone: Buddha considered such devotion or worship unenlightened/unskilled & instead encouraged self-reliance in one’s journey to nirvana. They’re more contemplating the enlightenment they identify with Buddha as they meditate on their own way to achieve that. A Shrek figure may work just as well for their purpose: enlightenment to them means shedding ego & not letting vicissitudes/nuisances cling them to samsara.

Nothing bad ever came from this.

Except everything bad that came from it? That’s some serious selective attention.

I truly believe things would not have gotten nearly as insane as they are had Google not decided to ban him.

Popular culture became complacent by over-relying on censorship instead of openly educating, criticizing, and discrediting idiots as was effectively done before with deference to free speech values.

What about censoring neo Nazis?

ineffective, disastrous, & still no bueno. better to educate & discredit their weak reasoning.