The UK government is cracking down on people sharing social media posts about the UK riots that it believes are “likely to incite racial hatred”.
Riots have erupted across the UK over an online hoax that suggested an asylum seeker was behind a mass stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event that left three girls dead and others injured. The murder, allegedly committed by an 18-year-old British citizen born to Rwandan parents, sparked a series of violent protests that have sparked wider concerns about the scale of immigration in the UK.
Footage of violent clashes between anti-immigration protesters and counter-protesters, some of whom were waving Palestinian flags, has been circulating on social media, with the government warning that sharing such content could face serious consequences.
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Sky News correspondent Matthew Thompson talks about how the UK Government is responding to videos of the riots online.
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Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales, warned against “publishing or distributing any offensive or abusive material which is intended or is likely to incite racist hatred” – so by retweeting it you are republishing it and potentially committing that offence. [incitement to racial hatred]”
“We have dedicated police officers combing through social media and their job is to find this material and proceed with identification, arrests etc,” he added.
“So this is a very serious issue. People may think they’re not doing anything harmful, but they’re not, and the consequences are going to fall on them,” Parkinson said.
Sky News domestic and political correspondent Matthew Thompson, who interviewed Parkinson, reported on the officials’ announcement and warned of the impact on British people, regardless of intention.
He said the presenter “People might be sharing He did it simply to warn his friends, but he’s stretching the point so much that it could be considered a crime.”
“Exactly, that’s the key message. But on social media, on any platform, even if you think you’re acting innocently, if you’re just sharing something for any reason, that could be criminal activity,” Thompson replied.
“This is not just a simple threat, because prosecutors have highlighted that they have brought multiple charges for inciting racial hatred online, one of which was this morning for distributing a recording with the intent to incite racial hatred,” he continued.
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“In fact, authorities have already brought charges for this type of behavior, so it sends a very clear message based on the harsh reality that if you engage in this type of behavior, you may be subject to criminal charges,” Thompson reiterated.
“Police are setting up teams to look for this kind of stuff on the internet and if you’re in the business of sharing or retweeting potentially incriminating content on any platform, you could be prosecuted,” he added.
Fox News’ Bradford Betts contributed to this report.
