The head of London’s Metropolitan Police has warned that officers will not only crack down on British citizens for commenting on the UK riots, but also American citizens.
“We will bring the full force of the law upon the people. And if you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes further afield online, we’re going to come after you,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News.
Riots have erupted across the UK in recent days over false rumors circulating online that an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event that left three girls dead and others injured.
The killings, allegedly carried out by a now 18-year-old British citizen born to Rwandan parents, sparked a series of violent protests that fed into wider concerns about immigration rates in the UK.
Footage of violent clashes involving anti-immigration protesters and groups of counter-protesters, some seen waving Palestinian flags, has gone viral on social media, and the government is warning that sharing such content could have serious consequences. heavy.
A key aspect that makes this apparent crackdown on social media particularly shocking to critics is that the British government is threatening to extradite US citizens from the US to jail in the UK for violating its rules on political speech online.
A Sky News reporter asked Commissioner Rowley to further explain his warning, arguing that high-profile figures have “fuelled hatred” and that “the likes of Elon Musk” have been involved.
She then asked what the police force’s plan will be “when it comes to dealing with people who are indulging in this type of behavior from behind the keyboard, who may be in another country?”
Rowley responded by telling the reporter, “Being a keyboard warrior doesn’t make you safe from the law.”
“You can be guilty of offenses of incitement, of inciting racial hatred, there are many terrorist offenses related to the publication of the material,” he said.
“All those offenses are in play if people are provoking hatred and violence on the streets, and we will go after those individuals as we will physically confront the thugs on the street and those who are taking – who are causing problems in communities. “
Elon Musk has made headlines for criticizing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s response to last week’s unrest, suggesting the UK is heading for “civil war”.
He also responded to a video of someone allegedly arrested for making offensive comments online with a question, “Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?”
Starmer’s spokesman said there was “no excuse” for Musk’s comments, adding that social media companies “can and should do” more to combat misinformation, the BBC reported.
He added that such companies “have a responsibility” to stop the spread of criminal activity and limit misinformation.
Fox Business’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
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