UK Riots: Multiple People Arrested for Social Media Posts
A British woman Wednesday was sentenced to 15 months in prison over a Facebook comment in which she said mosques shouldn't be protected and should be 'blown up.' This comes amid a wave of arrests over social media use in the UK in the aftermath of the stabbing of three girls in Southport and subs...
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Facts
- A British woman Wednesday was sentenced to 15 months in prison over a Facebook comment in which she said mosques shouldn't be protected and should be 'blown up.' This comes amid a wave of arrests over social media use in the UK in the aftermath of the stabbing of three girls in Southport and subsequent protests and riots.[1]
- In July, three British children were stabbed to death by a British native of Rwandan descent. After that ignited protests and riots, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new initiative made up of specialist officers to address the demonstrations against immigrant communities.[2][3]
- Starmer’s pledge to address the riots applied to any call for violence — in person or online — and as of Wednesday more than 1K people had been arrested for acts against Muslim and other foreign communities. Nearly 600 have been charged, with that number rising daily.[3]
- Last week, the UK government announced it would target people who post or share content that is 'likely to start racial hatred.' Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said that police officers will be dedicated to scour social media to find and identify users to arrest.[4]
- Last week, two men in their 20s became the first people sentenced to prison over social media posts related to the recent riots.[5]
- In addition, a 15-year-old boy who was sentenced for rioting was among 50 minors who've been charged for their roles in recent riots.[6][7]
Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]Verity, [3]Washington Post, [4]FOX News, [5]Sky News, [6]The Telegraph and [7]Independent.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. The UK's dark underbelly of racism has been raging out of control, so obviously the government must prosecute those behind any violence to the full extent of the law. Arrests alone, however, won't solve the social problems that plague UK society. In addition to incarcerating those who engage in anti-immigrant and violent behavior, the UK must invest time and resources into educating Brits while promoting empathy and tolerance toward immigrant communities.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by GB News. This is the UK’s two-tiered justice system on full display, as the government callously cracks down on disaffected British patriots and turns a blind eye to migrant crime. For decades, the British people have voiced their concerns over an unending wave of immigration that has led to a massive rise in violent crime. Instead of listening to its citizens, the government has criminalized dissent.
