The Labour Party-led British government is cracking down on those who share social media posts about the UK riots that it believes are “likely to incite racial hatred.”
In a blatant clamp down on freedom of speech, a 55-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with a social media post containing alleged false information about the identification of the suspect in the Southport murders.
The arrested woman is from near Chester and was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of distributing written content intended to incite ‘racial hatred’ and false communications.
“We have all seen the violent disorder that has taken place across the UK over the past week, much of which has been fuelled by malicious and inaccurate communications online. It’s a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy. It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person,” Chief Superintendent Alison Ross said.
In a thread on X, the Crown Prosecution Police boasted that they had booked 149 people since the Southport riots erupted. Other than violent disorder, people have been booked for publishing material to stir up “racial hatred”.
Our teams continue to work around the clock, along with the police, to charge people as quickly as possible and ensure justice is served, following recent public disorder. As of today, we have charged 149 people. See below for real-time updates today ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dFqxYJvfHe
— Crown Prosecution Service (@CPSUK) August 8, 2024
Speaking to SkyNews, the director of public prosecutions of England and Wales, Stephen Parkinson warned the people against “publishing or distributing material which is insulting or abusive which is intended to or likely to stir racial hatred.”
“So, if you retweet that, then you’re republishing that and then potentially you’re committing that offense. 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.
'We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media to look for this material, and then follow up with arrests.'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 7, 2024
The director of public prosecutions of England and Wales warns that sharing online material of riots could be an offencehttps://t.co/PYaeP7gPAQ pic.twitter.com/kOGWDPrlyz
Similarly, a 39-year-old Lancashire man was arrested on suspicion of publishing content on social media to urge people to engage in violence, said Merseyside Police.
The accused from Rufford, Ormskirk, was arrested on accusations of inciting or helping the commission of an indictable offence while suspecting one or more would be committed. On the 30th of July, he was arrested in Southport on charges of engaging in violent disorder.
In another such case, 28-year-old Jordan Parlour was charged with inciting racial hatred on social media. Another man was arrested in Birmingham for allegedly inciting racial hatred over social media.
Recently, American billionaire Elon Musk also expressed shock over the UK Police arresting people over social media posts. “Arrested for making comments on Facebook! Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?” Musk asked.
Arrested for making comments on Facebook!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2024
Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?
Is this accurate @CommunityNotes? https://t.co/ov7lKEUl2C
The riots erupted in the UK after three young girls ages 6, 7 and 9 were killed in a stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in northwestern England on on 29th July. Two of the girls lost their lives on the day of the incident while the third girl died the next day. Eight children and two adults were hospitalised after the attack. A 17-year-old suspect Axel Rudakabuna was arrested by the police for murder and attempted murder.
Notably, the UK Police is acting much like the Canadian Police to crush freedom of speech. In June this year, the police arrested Tommy Robinson, a British activist and critic of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, from Calgary in Alberta province of Canada. The British activist had dubbed the Liberal Party leader as ‘commie’ who is triggered by democracy. On 10th June, he tweeted, “The far left are running riot in France tonight because the people chose right, and now Trudeau just dropped a video about his “concerns” that the people of Europe chose right. All these people aren’t even pretending not to be commies anymore. They’re triggered by democracy.”
In January this year, a journalist named David Menzies was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on dubious charges of ‘assault’ after he asked tough questions to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland.
In May this year, OpIndia reported how the Canadian government introduced Bill C-63, known as the Online Harms Bill which included several sections overreaching and potentially causing harm to freedom of speech
