British authorities are warning citizens that simply retweeting information about the ongoing nationalist riots sweeping the country could constitute a criminal offense punishable by fines and jail time. According to Stephen Parkinson, the UK Director of Public Prosecutions, any social media activity “likely to stir up racial hatred” could violate British law—and with thousands of police officers tasked with monitoring the “far right,” punishment is promised to be swift and harsh.
“So if you retweet that, then you’re republishing that and then potentially you’re committing that offence [incitement to racial hatred],” Parkinson told Sky News. “We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media to look for this material, and then follow up with arrests.”
“People might think they’re not doing anything harmful, they are, and the consequences will be visited upon them,” he warned.
'We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media to look for this material, and then follow up with arrests.'
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
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 7, 2024
Learn more about the 2024 Vault Conference and secure your ticket today!
Parkinson further added that any individuals found to be sharing the locations of protests or riots could face charges of terrorism.
“The fact that it’s organised groups that might be motivated by ideological reasons, the fact that they’re promoting potentially very serious offences – that’s the sort of instance where we might want to consider terrorism charges,” he said.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
Got a hot scoop or an idea for a story? Connect with the VT writers on Minnect!
Add comment