UK PM Keir Starmer Blames Social Media Companies for Southport Riots

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has cautioned social media companies, saying they must follow laws against the inciting of violence online after misinformation about a fatal mass stabbing earlier this week prompted violent scenes.

A 17-year-old teenager appeared in court in England on Thursday charged with the death of three young girls after a knife attack at a summer dance class in Southport, which stunned the nation and caused two nights of violent demonstrations.

The disturbances occurred in response to the rapid dissemination of false information on social media that the culprit in the stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant, prompting anti-immigrant protestors to descend on Southport from elsewhere, attacking police and threatening a mosque.

Starmer who supports mass immigration stated that the disturbances were not legal protests, but rather criminal disorder “clearly driven by far-right hatred” before blaming social media companies companies.

“Let me also remind huge social media firms and their executives that clearly inciting violent disturbance online is a crime. It’s happening on your premises, and the law must be followed everywhere,” he said at a news conference, adding that there was a “balance to be reached” when dealing with such platforms.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity that we all value. There is also a responsibility that comes with it. That’s a place where mature conversations can take place.”

My statement on the violent disorder following the horrific tragedy in Southport. https://t.co/TxBT79DH0b

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 1, 2024

According to the campaign group Hope Not Hate, the disturbance in Southport on Tuesday was the result of a “blizzard of false information around the attack, much of it circulated by far-right accounts online.”

The 17-year-old suspect was initially unnamed due to restrictions governing youngsters accused with crimes, but a judge ordered the media could identify him as Axel Rudakubana. He turns 18 next Monday, and cops say he was born in Cardiff.

However, a claim that the culprit was an asylum seeker or immigrant has been viewed at least 15.7 million times on X, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, according to a Reuters.

A false assertion that he was an undocumented migrant who came in a small boat surfaced on the “Channel 3 Now” website, which later apologised for releasing misleading and incorrect material.

Andrew Tate, an internet personality and former world kickboxing champion, shared a photo of a man he claimed was responsible for the attack with the caption “straight off the boat” on Tuesday, but the photo was of a 51-year-old man arrested for a separate stabbing in Ireland last year.

Thousands of individuals online also incorrectly claimed that another man shown with a knife in French media during an attack in Annecy in June was the Southport suspect. Since then, the Syrian refugee has been in pre-trial prison in France.

Separately, a Channel 4 research revealed that 49% of traffic on social networking site X mentioning ‘Southport Muslim’ — in reference to an unverified assertion about the attacker’s faith — originated in the United States, with 30% originating from Britain.

Police have stated that the incident is not related to terrorism and have encouraged the public not to speculate on details while the inquiry is ongoing.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the new Reform Party, said that he wondered “whether the truth is being withheld from us” as he questioned why the incident was not being treated as a terror attack and if the suspect had been tracked by security forces.

Following criticism, Farage stated that he believed his “gentle questions” were fair and reasonable, while also pointing out that the internet was rife with baseless beliefs.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Starmer declined to comment on Farage’s remarks, stating that his first concern was for the families and police officers affected. However, he warned that any misinformation that interfered with the work of authorities could imperil efforts to hold a fair trial.

“The price for a trial that is prejudiced is ultimately paid by the victims and their families who are deprived of the justice that they deserve,” according to him, Starmer said.

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