"Examples include the suspension of a Reform UK councillor linked to a social media account calling for Keir Starmer to be shot and the arrest of a man allegedly captured on film at major far-right rally last month in London threatening to kill the prime minister. At the same rally, Elon Musk made comments that later drew condemnation from Downing Street when he told the crowd that violence is coming."
"To hear of the kinds of things that are being said and the explicit threats that are being made about political figures including the prime minister is deeply shocking. We can't bring my father back, but we can surely learn lessons and realise that it is time to dial down the temperature of what is being said both online and offline."
"the murder of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk had been a triggering moment for her family but should also come as a wake-up call in the UK. My father was someone who had just as many friends in the Labour party as in the Conservative party and worked with people from all sides, so he would be horrified at the insidious way in which dehumanising language has increasingly crept into social media, she said."
Families of murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox expressed alarm about a surge in violent political rhetoric, threats and dehumanising language across Britain. Recent incidents and attacks have intensified concern about violent antisemitism and Islamophobia. Specific cases cited include a suspended councillor linked to calls for Keir Starmer to be shot, an arrest after a filmed threat to the prime minister at a far-right rally, and Elon Musk telling a crowd that “violence is coming.” The trend followed a summer of anti-immigration protests, culture-war flashpoints and online content predicting civil war, prompting calls to cool public discourse.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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