UK looks into foreign element in riots

Violent protests erupted last week after the murder of three young girls at a dance class in the northern English coastal town of Southport, with social media spreading false claims that the attacker was a Muslim migrant.

Anti-Islam and anti-immigration protests then spread to other towns and cities across the UK, with mosques and hotels housing migrants targeted, leading to violent clashes with police.

Police officers try to stop protesters against illegal immigration in Bolton, Britain, August 4. Photo: Reuters

Jacob Davey, director of policy and research at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), said the wave of online misinformation and the role social media companies played was key. “We cannot underestimate the importance of the spread of this information in the horrific events that unfolded over the weekend,” he said.

In response, the British government said it was looking into how foreign actors had played a role in spreading disinformation.

“We have seen online bot activity, much of which is amplified or involves state actors, amplifying some of the disinformation that we see,” said a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Davey said misinformation is spread not only by people looking to cause trouble, but also by social media platforms themselves because the algorithms in these platforms' business models are set up to amplify controversial content online.

“In trending topics in the UK, social media users may see false information appearing when searching for Southport…”, he said.

Last year, the UK introduced a new Online Safety Act to tackle issues such as child sexual abuse and suicide promotion, but Professor Matthew Feldman, an expert on right-wing extremism at the University of York, said the law may not help in the current situation.

The law does not appear to address “online incitement to crime or disorder offline” despite its obviousness, the professor said, adding that modern technology is being exploited by extremists and influencers to gain attention.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

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