The Government is cracking down on people who share social media posts about the riots that it judges are “likely to start racial hatred”, regardless of their intent. Fox News has more.
Riots have broken out across the U.K. in recent days over false rumours spread online that an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event that left three girls dead and others wounded. The murders, allegedly committed by a now 18-year-old British citizen born to Rwandan parents, sparked a series of violent protests that tapped into broader concerns about the scale of immigration in the U.K.
Footage of the violent clashes involving anti-immigration protesters and the groups of counter-protesters, some of whom have been seen waving Palestinian flags, has gone viral on social media, and the Government is warning that sharing such content may have serious consequences.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales, Stephen Parkinson, warned against “publishing or distributing material which is insulting or abusive which is intended to or likely to start racial hatred. So, if you retweet that, then you’re republishing that and then potentially you’re committing that offence [incitement to racial hatred]”.
He added further, “We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media. Their job is to look for this material, and then follow up with identification, arrests, and so forth.”
“So it’s very, very serious. People might think they’re not doing anything harmful. They are. And the consequences will be visited upon them,” Parkinson said.
Worth reading in full.
Yesterday, a 55-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly spreading false information about the identity of the Southport attacker on social media.
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