Can far-right influencers be prosecuted for using social media to encourage rioters? Home Secretary warns 'armchair thugs' could face consequences
The Home Secretary today warned 'armchair thugs' they could face consequences after far-right influencers fuelled the flames of hate with a social media misinformation campaign.
Tommy Robinson and his ally 'Danny Tommo' have been among those calling for people to take to the streets in inflammatory posts on X, Telegram, Facebook and TikTok.
Pressed on whether the Government will take action against the likes of Robinson, who is currently on holiday in Ayia Napa, Yvette Cooper said: 'If it's a crime offline, it's a crime online.
'You can't just have armchair thuggery or people being able to incite and organise violence and also not face consequences for this.'
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, has also vowed action will be taken against online hatemongers - saying 'it is a crime' to 'whip up hate online'.
Tommy Robinson and his ally 'Danny Tommo' have been among those calling for people to take to the streets in inflammatory posts on X, Telegram, Facebook and TikTok
Pressed on whether the Government will take action against the likes of Robinson , who is currently on holiday in Ayia Napa, Yvette Cooper said: 'If it's a crime offline, it's a crime online'
Prosecutors could use hate crime laws or legislation outlawing incitement to target people using social media to foment hate or unrest.
In England and Wales, it is an offence to 'stir up hatred' on the grounds of race or religion, and this legislation has previously been used against those accused of racist tweets.
Meanwhile, people using social media to urge people to riot could also fall foul of legislation preventing the incitement of crimes.
Following the 2011 riots, two men were jailed after using Facebook to encourage violence.
The pair pleaded guilty under sections 44 and 46 of the Serious Crime Act to intentionally encouraging another to assist the commission of an indictable offence.
Experts have noted the disorganised nature of the rallies, with many originating from anonymous accounts on Telegram and TikTok that are then amplified by the likes of Robinson, 41, who has nearly a million followers on X.
On Saturday at 3.50pm, he posted a video of a confrontation in Stoke and claimed two protesters had been stabbed 'by Muslims'. The post was viewed two million times on X.
Two hours later, Staffordshire Police confirmed the information was false. Those injured were hit by something thrown by their own side.
At 10.23pm that night, Robinson then posted a picture of an unknown man with the caption: 'Alleged Muslim stabbed at least three women in Stirling... They always target women. Will Kier [sic] Starmer talk about this.'
Also fanning the flames has been the far-right 'influencer' Danny Tommo, real name Daniel Thomas, who is often referred to as Robinson's right-hand man
Actor Laurence Fox - seen in London - has shared false claims
Police Scotland said that a man had been arrested after a woman was stabbed in the city on Saturday. But the force said the suspect was white and local to the area.
Robinson was due to appear in court over alleged contempt proceedings last Monday but fled the UK the day before and is now subject to a High Court arrest warrant – which could be carried out in October.
He has since been staying at a £400-a-night resort outside Ayia Napa where he has shared a string of posts including the message: 'You were all warned. We have freedom or we have Islam, you can't have both.'
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted more than 100 times on X yesterday, including a rant addressed to 'the media and politicians'.
He wrote: 'It's not on me, it's on you. This mess is your doing, not mine. Your policy failures gave birth to these tensions, your failure to listen, to lie and label everyone far-right has caused this. Your cowardice to enforce the law equally has caused this.'
Later he posted videos of fights between two groups of protesters, writing: 'Muslim mobs running through Sheffield city centre just attacking white people at random.' He later claimed: 'Their plan is to pin all this violence on me.'
A man with a Swastika tattoo is seen attending a far-right protest in Sunderland this week
Actor Laurence Fox has also shared a string of false claims. On Friday night, he posted a list of dozens of acts of violence he alleged had been committed by immigrants under the caption: 'Anyone else had enough?'
Among them was the claim that a 'woman [was] beaten to death by two Somalis while walking her dog' – understood to have been a reference to last month's murder of Anita Rose, 57, in Brantham, Suffolk.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder, but Suffolk Police last night confirmed Fox's tweet was not correct.
