Britain’s mainstream media is blaming social media for anti-immigration riots in an attempt to distract from the underlying problems facing the country, and is calling on the government to implement tougher censorship measures.
The traditional media claims that Elon Musk, social media and “fake information” are the real causes of the protests and riots that erupted across the country after three young girls were killed in a mass stabbing attack by a man believed to be a second-generation Rwandan immigrant.
in article For the left Guardian Jonathan Freedland, a journalist, columnist and BBC presenter, said on Friday: “If the British authorities really want to hold to account everyone responsible for the riots and carnage in the UK, they need to hold Elon Musk to account.”
of Guardian The writer argued that the Tesla CEO “acquired X and immediately turned it into a safe haven for racism and hatred,” pointing to the return of banned figures like Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate.
“Lies do kill people. Of course there are many others, but one of the world’s most frequent enemies of truth is Elon Musk. He is arguably the most important figure on the global far right and wields the world’s biggest megaphone. In his own words, the battle to defeat him is now inevitable. And it must be won,” Friedland writes.
He suggested that if Kamala Harris is elected US president in the autumn, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should work with the White House to implement a global crackdown on so-called disinformation.
A majority of British voters, regardless of party affiliation, say the riots are caused by “recent immigration policies”. https://t.co/PRY3xiH3YM pic.twitter.com/xvReTK3mV2
— Eric Kaufman (@epkaufm) August 7, 2024
former Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger, write Writing on the Independent’s website, the paper described Musk as “an arsonist with a giant matchbox” and argued that “so far, at least, regulations have done little to curb Musk’s eagerness to amplify lies and hatred on his platform.”
“This is an issue that can no longer be ignored,” Rusbridger argued, adding, “But we can fight to assert fundamental boundaries in the digital space.”
Meanwhile, Globalist’s deputy editor Financial Times, Edward Luce Pronounced About X: “It cannot be said enough: Elon Musk’s threat to democracy is intolerable. He is using the largest and most influential platform in the democratic world to stoke racial tensions and social breakdown through his posts and those promoted by X. Democracy can no longer ignore this.”
“Ban social media during the riots?”
They want to ban
Traditional media promotes government policies.
Twitter is the number one news source in the UK. The mainstream media hates it because it is. The government hates it because if we had freedom of speech the government couldn’t control us.pic.twitter.com/5dOX77vsbt
— Father Calvin Robinson (@calvinrobinson) August 7, 2024
The government shut down social media during the unrest and even Expand Geoblocking technology that prevents UK users from accessing X at all.
The announcement comes as the new left-wing Labour government is reportedly considering reforms to Online Safety legislation which was passed last year but is yet to come into force.
be Report from TelegraphThe government may seek to reinstate a repealed provision that would have forced social media companies to remove “lawful but harmful” content from their platforms.
Under current law, Britain’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom will have the power to impose heavy fines on social media companies that fail to remove so-called hate speech.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 10, 2024
Musk has been a fierce critic of the New Labour government, leading the charge against Prime Minister Starmer over what he sees as a “two-tiered” police system in which certain groups are treated differently to others because of their ethnicity or political leanings.
He also compared the state of freedom of speech in the UK to that of the Soviet Union, pointing to recent arrests in the country for comments made on social media.
On Saturday, the X boss defended his platform’s free speech stance. say“Freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy. When the truth is suppressed, informed voting decisions are impossible.”
“The extent to which freedom of speech is being violated around the world is extremely disturbing.”
Overcorrection underway? UK at war with the internet as social media fuels social unrest https://t.co/a7uwd0WRBA
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 9, 2024
