This comes as the country has been enveloped in protests and riots against mass migration and counterprotests from "Muslim patrol" vigilante groups wielding weapons, in many cases. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has mobilized police forces and a "standing army" to go after "far-right" protesters, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests over the last couple of weeks. Some have already been sentenced to prison terms, including a man who was "gesticulating and shouting" at police and received a 2-year term.
Parkinson stated in his interview: "The offense of incitement of racial hatred involves publishing or distributing material which is insulting or abusive which is intended to or likely to start racial hatred." He continued, "So if you retweet that then you're republishing that and then potentially you're committing that offense."
"And we do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media," he revealed. "Their job is to look for this material and then follow up with identification, arrests, and so forth."
Police have already arrested 3 people for inciting hatred online over the past couple of days, per BBC. A 41-year-old and 40-year-old from Carlisle along with a 31-year-old from Maryport were arrested for allegedly posting "hat-related content" online.
Cumbria Police's Ch. Supt. Carl Patrick said: "Where there is evidence of people inciting hatred or promoting violence on our streets, our officers will not hesitate to take action. We will continue to prioritise the safety of the public and anyone involved in criminality can expect to be dealt with robustly."
