The UK government is investigating whether foreign state actors are amplifying disinformation that has sparked violent far-right riots across the country. Here’s the full story.
Anti-Immigrant Violence
With the UK currently engulfed in a wave of anti-immigrant violence and far-right riots following the tragic stabbing of three children in Southport, online conspiracy theories and disinformation, which are spreading like wildfire, are fanning the flames of violence.
Far-Right Riots Spread
Far-right groups have clashed with police, targeted mosques and set alight the hotels housing asylum seekers in a wave of violence which has spread to cities as disparate as Manchester, Liverpool and Hull.
Emergency Cobra Meeting
The ongoing unrest has reached such a fever pitch that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has held an emergency Cobra crisis meeting. One topic of discussion was the deliberate spreading of misinformation by the UK’s adversaries.
Misinformation Amplifies Anger
Though the inciting incident, the tragic murders in Southport, were very real, the anger and violence of the far-right mob has been amplified many times over by waves of discrimination circulating online, with false claims about the identity, religion and asylum status of the stabbing suspect rapidly gaining traction on social media sites like X, formerly Twitter.
False Reports
Ironically, the Daily Mail, arguably one of the UK’s most staunchly anti-immigrant newspapers, first reported a supposed news outlet named ‘Channel3 Now’ had falsely reported that the suspect was an asylum seeker allegedly on the MI6 watchlist.
Suspect Misidentified
This was untrue. The suspected attacker was named Axel Rudakubana, born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff, Wales. However, despite this, far-right influencers, grifters and agitators like Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, amplified the post on social media.
Post Goes Viral
This lie was shared in a post by Channel3 Now, which was viewed over 2 million times before being deleted. The alleged news source was later traced back to a Russian YouTube channel that started 11 years ago.
Starmer on Bot Activity
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson stated, “Clearly, we have seen bot activity online, much of which may well be amplified, or have the involvement of state actors, amplifying some of the disinformation and misinformation that we’ve seen.”
NCA and DSIT Involved
They added, “That is something that the NCA [National Crime Agency] and DSIT [Department for Science, Innovation and Technology] are looking at, in relation to what we’ve seen online … Some of the disinformation that we’ve seen online, attracts amplification from known bot activity — which as I say can be linked to state backed-activity.”
Cooper Downplays State Actors
However, despite Russian state media outlets’ long history of spreading misinformation regarding the activities, illegal or otherwise, of the Russian state and online bots that seek to amplify division being a well-known price to pay for taking part in social media discourse, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper sought to downplay the potential involvement of state actors.
Local Groups Blamed
Cooper told Sky News, “We know that there can be amplification of social media activity. I think our focus right now is on local groups and organisations, including some of those who are fuelled by far-right extremists, but also those who were just local looters who came to join in and committed crimes and that is our focus right now.”
Social Media Responsibility
However, Cooper acknowledged that social media companies bore some responsibility for allowing misinformation to spread so quickly online, arguing that some sites were negligent in taking down “criminal material that they should be removing.”
“Sense of Responsibility”
She added, “But they also actually just have to have a sense of responsibility towards communities where we’ve seen the consequences in certain towns and cities. So we will be pursuing this with the social media companies.”
Cleverly’s Intervention Theory
Despite Cooper’s denials, shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly made a strong case that foreign intervention in the online misinformation campaign was likely, arguing that the surge in violence “has all the hallmarks” of being stoked by a “very pernicious online culture perpetrated by the far right” which was “amplified both within the UK and beyond our borders.”
Starmer Promises Action
At a press conference, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, “Be in no doubt, those that have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law. The police will be making arrests. Individuals will be held on remand, charges will follow and convictions will follow.”
Regret Participation
He added, “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves. This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online.”
Misinformation’s Impact
The ongoing senseless violence in the UK has brought further into the mainstream what many social media users have long known: bots, malicious state actors, and extremists determined to push a false narrative which suits their ends have long poisoned the communal well of online discourse.
Scale of the Problem
Despite the strong words from Starmer, Cooper and Cleverly, it remains to be seen if the British government is fully aware of the scale of the problem it is facing with online misinformation and whether there is anything it can do to tackle one of the most pernicious issues facing modern democracies.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sandor Szmutko.
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