The Metropolitan police commissioner said in a statement that rioters in England who post content online that authorities define as inciting racial hatred “we will come after you” even if they live abroad.
“We will use the full force of the law – whether you’re committing crimes on the streets of this country or far away online, we will hunt you down,” Sir Mark Lawry said. He told Sky News.
“Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law.”
It is unclear how British law enforcement would actually enforce that, especially against people living in the US, where freedom of speech is paramount.
What’s the background?
A 17-year-old man has been charged with killing three people and injuring numerous others in a mass stabbing attack that took place on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance studio in the English seaside town of Southport.
Authorities initially said they had no evidence that terrorism was a motive for the attack, angering many who accused the government of hiding evidence. Identified Prosecutors arrested suspect Axel Rudakubana and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Authorities confirmed that the suspect is from Cardiff, but noted that both of his parents are Rwandan.
Unrest and violence erupted in the days following the stabbing and has since spread across Britain.
Photo by Benjamin Kremer/AFP via Getty Images
Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Radio host Glenn BeckJohn F. Kennedy, co-founder of Blaze Media, said last week that the deadly knife attack revealed a “dual justice” in Britain, with police more or less ignoring crimes committed by Muslim immigrants while harshly punishing non-Muslims.
British authorities have begun to crack down not only on rioters, but also on individuals who post content online that incites racial hatred. Indeed, British police announced last week that they had arrested a 55-year-old woman in connection with “inaccurate social media posts.” On Thursday, Cheshire Police announced that they had arrested a Cheshire Police officer for a post that contained inaccurate information about the identity of the Southport murder suspect. said.
Authorities said the woman, who lives near Chester, was arrested “on suspicion of publishing literature inciting racial hatred (section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986) and false communications (section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023).” Chester is about a mile east of the England-Wales border and about 40 minutes south of Liverpool.
“We have officers dedicated to combing through social media. Their job is to find this material and proceed with identification, arrests, etc.”
“This is a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking its accuracy,” Superintendent Alison Ross said. “It also serves as a warning that we all take responsibility for our actions, whether online or in person.”
Mr Ross added: “We have all seen the violent unrest that has taken place across the UK over the past week, much of which was sparked by malicious and inaccurate communication online.”
moreover, Fox News noted Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales, has warned against “publishing or distributing any offensive or abusive material which is intended or is likely to cause racism”, so by retweeting this you are republishing it. [incitement to racial hatred]”
“We have police officers dedicated to combing through social media, and their job is to find this material and facilitate identification, arrests, etc,” he added, according to the cable news network.
A Sky News reporter asked Rowley how UK authorities might respond given that a high-profile figure like X CEO Elon Musk was “inciting this kind of behaviour from behind a keyboard, presumably in another country”.
Lawrie suggested that oceans and borders can’t save them – or you.
“Just because you’re a keyboard warrior doesn’t mean you’re immune from the law,” he responded. “You can be found guilty of sedition, inciting racial hatred. There are numerous terrorism offences in relation to publishing material. If people are inciting hatred and violence on the streets, all of these offences apply. We will pursue such individuals in the same way we would physically confront a thug or a hoodlum on the street… They’re causing problems in the community.”
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