Police in the United Kingdom said they arrested a 55-year-old woman this week in connection with an “inaccurate social media post.”
Cheshire police officers made the arrest Thursday over a post “containing inaccurate information about the identity of the attacker in the Southport murders,” the Cheshire Constabulary said.
‘It’s a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy,’ Chief Superintendent Alison Ross said. ‘It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person.’
Officials said the woman, who lives near Chester, was arrested “on suspicion of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred (S19 of the Public Order Act 1986) and false communications (S179 Online Safety Act 2023).” Chester is about a mile east of England’s border with Wales and about 40 minutes south of Liverpool.
Authorities said she was being held in police custody “where she is assisting officers with their enquiries.”
A 17-year-old male was accused of killing three and injuring numerous other victims in a July 29 mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class in Southport.
Officials initially said there was no evidence that terrorism was a motive in the Southport knife attack, which angered many who accused the government of covering up evidence. Police identified suspect Axel Rudakubana and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Officials identified him as being from Cardiff but also noted that his parents are Rwandan.
Unrest and violence erupted the day after the stabbings and have spread across the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the violence and blamed “far-right thuggery.”
However, now-suspended U.K. Labour Party Councillor Ricky Jones reportedly was arrested this week on suspicion of encouraging murder of anti-immigration protesters after an outdoor speech in London in front of a rabid, far-left crowd during which he hollered, “They are disgusting, nasty fascists, and we need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all!” A video of the speech shows him sliding his finger across his neck as he spoke; he then led a “free, free Palestine!” chant.
Radio host Glenn Beck, co-founder of Blaze Media, earlier this week opined that “two-tier justice” — in which police more or less ignore Muslim immigrant crime but come down hard on non-Muslims — has been laid bare in the U.K. in the wake of the deadly knife attack.
Regardless, a Cheshire police official issued a stark warning in reference to the 55-year-old woman arrested over the “inaccurate social media post.”
“It’s a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy,” Chief Superintendent Alison Ross said. “It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person.”
Ross added that “we have all seen the violent disorder that has taken place across the U.K. over the past week, much of which has been fueled by malicious and inaccurate communications online.”
What’s more, Fox News noted that Stephen Parkinson — director of public prosecutions of England and Wales — warned against “publishing or distributing material which is insulting or abusive which is intended to or likely to start racial hatred. So, if you retweet that, then you’re republishing that, and then potentially you’re committing [incitement to racial hatred].”
He added, “We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media. Their job is to look for this material, and then follow up with identification, arrests, and so forth,” the cable news network said.
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