British police chief threatens extradition and imprisonment of US citizens for online posts: “We will pursue you”

The chief of London's Metropolitan Police warned that authorities would not only take action against British citizens who comment on the unrest in Britain, but also against American citizens.

“We will confront people with the full force of the law. And whether you commit crime on the streets in this country or you commit crime remotely online, we will pursue you,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News.

In recent days, unrest has broken out across the UK following false rumours spread online that an asylum seeker was responsible for a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance that left three girls dead and others injured. The killings, allegedly carried out by a now 18-year-old British citizen of Rwandan parents, sparked a series of violent protests that reflected wider concerns about the level of immigration in the UK.

Footage of violent clashes between anti-immigration protesters and counter-protesters – some of whom waved Palestinian flags – has gone viral on social media, with the government warning that sharing such content could have serious consequences.

A key aspect that makes this apparent crackdown on social media particularly shocking to critics is the British government's threat to extradite American citizens from the US and imprison them in the UK if they violate rules on online political expression.

Unrest in Britain leads to the worst unrest in the country for years. Prime Minister promises to use “full force of law”

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A Sky News reporter asked Commissioner Rowley to elaborate on her warning, arguing that senior figures had “fuelled the hatred” and that “people like Elon Musk” were involved. She then asked what the police plan will be “when it comes to dealing with people who are inciting this kind of behaviour from behind the keyboard and who may be in another country?”

Rowley responded to the reporter: “Being a keyboard warrior does not protect you from the law.”

“You can be guilty of incitement and incitement to racial hatred. There are numerous terrorist offences related to publishing material,” he said. “All of these offences are at play when people incite hatred and violence on the streets. We will pursue these individuals, just as we will physically confront the thugs and hooligans who are causing problems for communities on the streets.”

British government ‘scours social media’ to arrest people for sharing ‘harmful’ footage of riots, regardless of intent

Elon Musk made headlines with his criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Reaction to the unrest This suggests that Britain is heading towards a “civil war”.

He also responded to a video of a person allegedly arrested for making offensive online comments by asking: “Is that Britain or the Soviet Union?”

Starmer's spokesman said there was “no justification” for Musk's comments, adding that social media companies “can and should do more” to combat misinformation, the BBC reported. He added that such companies had “a responsibility” to stop the spread of criminal activity and limit misinformation.

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Source of the original article: British police chief threatens extradition and imprisonment of US citizens for online posts: “We will pursue you”