British lawmakers have accused outdated laws of hindering police efforts to counter false claims that fueled anti-immigrant violence in the country last summer. The investigation by Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee found that limits on disclosing details of criminal investigations created an “information vacuum” that allowed disinformation to flourish after three children were stabbed to death at a summer dance party in July.
The attack, which killed Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, and injured eight others, was sparked by incorrect reports claiming the attacker was a Muslim migrant. Far-right activists seized on these false claims, leading to days of disorder as crowds attacked housing for asylum-seekers and mosques.
The committee also found that longstanding contempt-of-court rules hindered police in correcting online misinformation and a ban on naming suspects under 18 meant the attacker’s identity was withheld from the public for several days. A tweet falsely identifying the attacker was retweeted thousands of times and viewed by millions of people before being corrected by police.
Lawmakers are now calling for government support to monitor and respond to social media at a national level, citing the need for the criminal justice system to adapt to the “social media age.” The government has agreed that social media has put traditional communication principles under strain and has asked the Law Commission to review contempt of court rules.
Source: https://www.wral.com/story/uk-report-says-outdated-laws-hampered-fight-against-misinformation-during-anti-immigrant-violence/21959432