In the UK, suspects under the age of 18 enjoy anonymity to protect their privacy and that of their families. The British media are therefore obliged not to publish the names of minors in criminal proceedings.
But following the fatal knife attack in Southport on July 29 and the subsequent rapid spread of fake news on social media, this regulation is now being questioned.
Turmoil and fake news after knife attack in Southport
Background: Just a few hours after the attack, the perpetrator (now known as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana) was wrongly identified as a Muslim immigrant named Ali Al-Shakati. Shortly after the attack, the British news portal “The Independent” had correctly reported that the perpetrator actually came from a Christian family that regularly attended church. But it was already too late.
The first fake posts were posted by X-accounts, some of which had more than 40,000 followers, as well as by the anti-Islam and anti-immigration account “Europe Invasion.” This post alone received more than six million views.
Judge publishes name of perpetrator due to “idiotic protests”
The flood of false reports quickly fuelled far-right protesters in Southport. On Tuesday evening, police intervened when a mob attacked a mosque. The following Thursday, Judge Andrew Menary decided to publish the suspect’s name due to the seriousness of the crime and his impending 18th birthday. He wanted to counteract the “idiotic protests”, the British news portal quoted „The Guardian” the judge.
Despite the names being mentioned, anti-Islam and anti-immigration riots continued. On Saturday, violent clashes broke out in several British cities, including London, Hull and Nottingham. Police vehicles were also damaged in Liverpool when protesters threw stones and shouted “Stop the boats”.
Internet faster than media – millions of views for fake news
British journalists and media experts are now urgently calling for a reform of the law. Their argument is that misinformation spreads faster on social media than the British press can provide accurate reporting. This is at least the argument of media law expert Ursula Smartt from the Northeastern University.
Smartt warns that British laws are “outdated and no longer keep up with international online reporting”. Protecting juvenile offenders and their families is important but is “undermined by the lightning-fast spread of information on social media”.
British journalist Marc Owen Jones emphasizes in „Independent”that delayed media reporting gives right-wing extremist influencers the opportunity to spread false information in order to advance their right-wing extremist agenda.
Jones speaks of over 27 million views of social media posts speculating that the perpetrator was a Muslim, migrant, refugee or foreigner. “While misinformation is common after tragic events, far-right influencers use such events to advance their anti-migrant and xenophobic agenda despite a lack of evidence,” Jones emphasizes.
Riots now also from the Muslim side
Among those spreading this misinformation was controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who called the perpetrator an “illegal migrant” and called on people to “wake up”. On the day of the attack, Darren Grimes of GB News also criticised MPs who advocated taking in “more refugees”.
Now violent riots are also looming on the Muslim side. Yesterday, Monday, a group of Muslims attacked pubs and vehicles in Birmingham, according to the British news channel “BBC”.
Until now, the British press was only allowed to publish the names of criminals before their conviction in exceptional cases. It remains to be seen whether the laws will be changed after the incident in Southport and the current riots. According to „CNN” Further riots are expected in England this week.
