UK Far Right Protests (2024): A Dangerous Blend of Misinformation, Technology, and Extremism
In August 2024, far-right protests left my city (which has a significant Muslim and immigrant population) frightened. On a day that protesters were rumoured to be taking to the city centre, I found it almost empty, and truly realised the gravity of the situation.
It all began when three children were tragically killed, and several others wounded, in a stabbing in Southport on 29 July 2024. Initially, the 17-year-old suspect’s identity was not revealed, due to his age. False claims started to circulate rapidly. It was alleged that his name was ‘Ali Al-Shakati' and that he was an asylum seeker who had recently come to the UK. It was also falsely claimed that he was either Syrian or Muslim.
A statement issued by Merseyside Police explained that the name being shared on social media was incorrect. They urged people not to speculate on the details of the incident while the investigation was ongoing. Eventually, it was revealed that the suspect was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, but by this time, the damage was already done. The circulation of false claims led to an estimated 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots between July and August 2024 across 27 towns and cities in the UK.
The Escalation of Protests and the State’s Response
This was the most significant disorder in the UK since the 2011 riots. Soon after the tragedy, unrest broke out in Southport, and on 31 July 2024, more than 100 protesters were arrested in central London after a clash with the police. Protesters attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers and clashed with anti-racism counter-protesters, causing chaos. Hampshire Police said that during a demonstration outside a hotel reportedly housing asylum seekers, a minority of the protesters engaged in criminal activity, like throwing objects and hurling racial abuse.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer classified these riots as “far-right thuggery” and condemned those involved directly and indirectly online. He emphasised the right of individuals to feel safe and pointed out that Muslim communities have been targeted, cars set on fire, and even Nazi salutes made in the street.
Specialist forces, trained in public order, worked more than 40,000 shifts throughout the protests. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) deployed additional prosecutors, and the government brought forward plans to open temporary prison places to meet the demand. Mosques were offered greater protection.
According to The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), as of 30 August 2024, 1,280 individuals were arrested for their involvement, out of which 796 were charged. Most arrests were made using footage from body-cameras, CCTV, social media, and other sources.
Individuals were charged with a range of offences including violent disorder, riot, burglary, racially motivated criminal damage, and online offences like promoting or possessing materials that incites racial hatred. The maximum penalties ranged from five years for violent disorder to ten years for rioting.
Misinformation as a Catalyst for Civil Unrest
Far-right activists used fake news websites and conspiracy theorists to spread anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim propaganda. The fake name that circulated, leading to speculation about the perpetrator’s ethnicity and religion, seems to have been first shared by the X account ‘Channel 3 Now’. Channel 3 mixes potentially AI-generated US and UK news content and presents itself as a mainstream American news channel.
X became the focal point for the spreading of misinformation, where posts sharing false claims were promoted by the algorithm, due to the engagement they were receiving. Many accounts spreading misinformation purchased blue ticks, which not only meant that their posts were promoted, but also added a false sense of credibility to the information they were putting out. Since Elon Musk’s takeover, he has changed how the platform moderates false and hateful content, making it easier to spread misinformation.
In a video that received 30,000 views in 2 hours, a prominent conspiracy theorist called for military rule and mass deportations. Another video spreading misinformation was viewed nearly 800,000 times. The accounts sharing misinformation were based all around the world. While some profiles seemed to belong to real users, others resembled inauthentic accounts used to manipulate online debate.
According to Professor Andrew Chadwick—an expert on the spread of online misinformation at Loughborough University—the ways in which the false claims get represented, circulated, and amplified by important figures play an important role. He adds that false news starts circulating in smaller groups and impacts communities, exactly as we saw.
Eventually, a judge at a Crown Court hearing decided that there would be little practical benefit in concealing the perpetrator’s identity for another week until his 18th birthday, and his name was released. Posts denouncing the false claims got millions of views, but proportionately less than those spreading misinformation.
The attack on the mosque in Southport demonstrates the role of online misinformation in fuelling violence. Other factors like racism and the political climate also played major roles in causing the disorder.
A childminder, Lucy Connolly received a 31-month prison sentence for a post to her 10,000 followers on X, calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire. This post was only available for three and a half hours but managed to get 310,000 views. A man with over 90,000 followers on X was given a three year custodial sentence for spreading misinformation and stirring up racial hatred online.
Despite justice being served to individuals spreading misinformation online, damage had already been done, and people, including myself, were made to feel unsafe amid the riots and violent protests. It would therefore make sense to review and reform the platforms allowing misinformation to spread, to prevent unnecessary violence being perpetrated.
When it comes to ramifications for X, officials seem to be fighting a losing battle. The House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee invited Elon Musk to give evidence in parliament about the role of online misinformation in fuelling these riots. While he is yet to respond officially, it seems unlikely that he will appear before the parliamentary committee. However, the discourse in parliament itself is important, as the Online Safety Act 2023 came into force partly because of it. It has created strict rules for social media platforms, non-compliance with which may lead to fines up to 18 million pounds or 10% of a company's annual global turnover.
There should be no place in our communities for such hatred, and we need to remain extremely careful with misinformation, as it can have devastating consequences, as we saw here. Only by holding both individuals and platforms accountable can we prevent the spread of harmful misinformation and stop it from endangering lives and dividing communities.
By Manija Karim, Student Blog Writer at QMLAC and LLB Law Student.
This blog is for information only and does not constitute legal advice on any matter. While we always aim to ensure that information is correct at the date of posting, the legal position can change, and the blogs will not ordinarily be updated to reflect any subsequent relevant changes. Anyone seeking legal advice on the subject matter should contact a specialist legal representative.
Sources
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