The head of London’s Metropolitan Police Service has issued a warning that United Kingdom officials will not only target British citizens for sharing content and commentary pertaining to the violent riots and clashes between protesters and counter-protesters, but that officials will also target and potentially extradite and jail American citizens for sharing online content.
Fox News reported that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley recently told a Sky News reporter, “We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you.”
According to Fox News, violent riots have plagued the United Kingdom following allegations that an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing incident that resulted in the death of three girls and multiple other individuals being injured at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. While the suspect has reportedly been identified as an 18-year-old British citizen, Fox News reported that protests against the country’s massive immigration numbers have persisted throughout the United Kingdom.
Fox News reported that videos of the violent encounters between anti-immigration protesters and counter-protesters have circulated online, prompting the United Kingdom to issue warnings against social media content. However, the latest warning from U.K. officials not only threatened to jail British citizens but also to extradite and jail American citizens for violating the country’s social media rules.
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Asked by a Sky News reporter regarding high profile individuals, such as Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, commenting on the recent riots and “whipping up the hatred,” Rowley said, “Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law.”
“You can be guilty of offenses of incitement, of stirring up racial hatred, there are numerous terrorist offenses regarding the publishing of material,” Rowley added. “All of those offenses are in play if people are provoking hatred and violence on the streets, and we will come after those individuals just as we will physically confront on the streets the thugs and the yobs who are taking — who are causing the problems for communities.”
Earlier this month, Musk suggested on social media that “Civil war is inevitable” in the United Kingdom. The Tesla CEO has criticized United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s response to the violent riots, particularly for allegedly arresting an individual for posting comments on Facebook. Musk questioned, “Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?”
