In the wake of the civil unrest in August 2024 and the threats by Sir Keir Starmer and others to arrest people for posting about the riots on social media, many people have approached us asking where the line is between lawful free speech and ‘stirring up hatred’ or ‘inciting crime’. Can reposting riot footage actually be a criminal offence, as the Director of Public Prosecutions claimed? There is no simple answer, but in this briefing doc we summarise the law in England and Wales as it applies to online speech, with some examples of what might get you into trouble.