In the wake of recent riots, Michael Deacon warns that “jailing people for inflammatory or misleading posts on social media risks opening a huge can of worms.”
Writing for The Telegraph, Deacon argues: “During last week’s riots, so many thugs disguised themselves using masks that the Government is now considering a ban on the wearing of face coverings at protests. According to a report in the Sun, however, exceptions would be made for “people in religious dress”.
“If true, we may end up confronted by an unlikely sight. Mobs of violent Islamophobes, all clad in burkas.
Deacon continues: “For the time being, at least, the authorities are focused on dealing with those responsible for the unrest. But punishment isn’t solely reserved for people who committed violent acts. People who stirred up violence through posts on social media are being punished, too.
“It’s hard to have much sympathy. All the same, I fear such an approach risks opening a huge can of worms. Because, if people can be jailed for posting messages that appear to promote violence, where does that leave the Health Secretary?
“In 2009, some years before he became a Labour MP, Wes Streeting responded to a controversial column in the Daily Mail by tweeting, of the woman who wrote it: “There would be nothing natural about Jan Moir’s death if I shoved the bigoted old bag under a train.”
“In 2022, a spokesman for Mr Streeting apologised, acknowledging that his tweet was “in bad taste”. An apology, however, would not have been enough to save those jailed in the past week for their behaviour online.
“While we’re on the subject, I note that another Labour MP has apologised for a historic post in which she complained about “f—ing Estonian retards”. Was that stirring up hatred? And a third Labour MP has deleted a post which shared an unfounded claim that there’d been an acid attack on a Muslim woman in Middlesbrough. Was that spreading fake news?”
Worth reading in full.
Deacon’s article elucidates Labour’s hypocrisy surrounding the policing of the riots and its attitude to hate speech.
It’s now abundantly clear that following recent public disorder an anti-free speech ratchet effect is being set in motion.
The crackdown, when it comes, won’t just target those directly participating in or inciting violence.
What will happen, just as it always happens, is that new or newly strengthened laws will be wielded against those who dissent from ‘progressive’ orthodoxy.
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