Britain Threatens To Criminalize Its Citizens Who Provoked Anti-Migrant Riots Through Social Media

Illustration of demonstrations turned into riots. (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The British government has threatened its citizens who play social media to provoke or organize violence to trigger anti-migrant riots this weekend.

This was conveyed by the British Shadow Home Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds in the midst of the apparatus' anticipation of the widespread and continuing mass right-wing rioting this weekend.

"By the end of this week, if you are involved in illegal online activities, if you trigger or organize violence... police will come for you," Symonds said, quoted from Mirror, Friday 9 August.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan warned that anyone who provoked would be subject to a new law on social media rules in England. Khan also urged British Prime Minister (PM) Keir Starmer to immediately focus on implementing the regulation.

The new rules governing social media platforms in the Online Security Act have not fully enforced in the UK, including content and illegal activities, as well as criminal acts of violent provocation.

In its rules, platform companies that do not regulate their users to comply with the law are in danger of being fined 10 percent of their global turnover or services blocked in the UK.

However, Khan said the highest concern was the systematic working social media.

"The way algorithms work, the way misinformation can spread very quickly and disinformation... that's what needs to be worried, we have seen the consequences firsthand of this," Khan said.