More clashes and arrests at UK immigration protests
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Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
UK threatens jail for people smugglers who advertise on social media
LONDON: People smugglers who use social media to promote their services to migrants seeking to enter Britain illegally could face five years in prison under plans announced by the government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under huge political and public pressure to cut the number of migrants arriving illegally in small boats from France. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing so far this year. Analysis by the Interior Ministry showed around 80 percent of migrants arriving on small boats had used social media during their journey to find or communicate with people smugglers. Under a new offense, which will be added to legislation already passing through parliament, individuals who post online to advertise services that facilitate a breach of immigration laws will face fines and prison sentences of up to five years. It is already an offense to facilitate illegal immigration to Britain, but the government said its latest plan would give law enforcement agencies another option to disrupt the criminal gangs that profit from organizing the crossings. Last month, the government launched a new sanctions regime allowing it to freeze assets, impose travel bans and block access to the country's financial system for individuals and entities involved in enabling irregular migration.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Arab News
More clashes and arrests at UK immigration protests
Demonstrators calling for mass 'remigration' gathered in central ManchesterIn central London, rival demonstrators converged outside a hotel housing asylum seekersMANCHESTER: Further scuffles broke out at anti-immigration protests in the UK on Saturday, with police making several calling for mass 'remigration' gathered in central Manchester, northwest England, for a march organized by the far-right 'Britain First' group, which was confronted by anti-racism in central London, rival demonstrators converged outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, following similar recent events that have occasionally turned Manchester, the two groups clashed briefly at the start of the protest before police split them up, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.'Send them back, don't let them in — just stop them coming in, we've got hotels full of immigrants and we've got our own homeless people in the streets begging for food but nowhere to live,' said protester Brendan O'Reilly, Judy, a 60-year-old retired nurse, told AFP she was there 'because I don't want to see people full of hate on the streets of Manchester.''Do they want them all to go back or is it just people with brown skin? I suspect it's just people with brown skin that they want to re-migrate,' she London, similar clashes erupted outside a hotel in the Barbican neighborhood before police Police wrote on X that officers had cleared a junction where counter-protesters had assembled in breach of the conditions in place.'There have been nine arrests so far, with seven for breaching Public Order Act conditions,' added the have been several flashpoints around the UK in recent weeks, most notably in the north-east London neighborhood of Epping.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Arab News
Pro-Palestine online content in UK risks censorship, rights groups warn
LONDON: Pro-Palestine online content in the UK could be censored through the twin threat of the Online Safety Act and banning of Palestine Action, human rights groups have warned. Content in support of Palestinians published online could be misconstrued as supporting Palestine Action, a protest group that was proscribed under anti-terrorism laws on July 5, The Guardian reported on Saturday. Index on Censorship, Open Rights Group and other organizations have written to Ofcom, the UK's independent communications regulator, to request clarification on the matter. Signatories to the letter also warned that online content objecting to Palestine Action's banning could be misidentified as unlawful support for the group. Open Rights Group's Sara Chitseko, a pre-crime program manager, told The Guardian: 'Crucial public debate about Gaza is being threatened by vague, overly broad laws that could lead to content about Palestine being removed or hidden online. 'There's also a real danger that people will start self-censoring, worried they might be breaking the law just by sharing or liking posts related to Palestine and nonviolent direct action. 'This is a serious attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest in the UK. We need to ensure that people can share content about Palestine online without being afraid that they will be characterised as supportive of terrorism.' Major online social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have been advised by Ofcom that they can avoid concerns about meeting the requirements of the Online Safety Act if they are more stringent with censoring content than is mandated by the act. The letter sent to Ofcom by the rights groups warned: 'This approach risks encouraging automated moderation that disproportionately affects political speech, particularly from marginalised communities, including Palestinian voices.' The UK, unlike the EU, lacks a mechanism through which users can appeal the censoring of their online content. Signatories to the letter — which was also sent to Meta, Alphabet, X and ByteDance, owners of the world's top social media platforms — called for the creation of a British dispute mechanism to discourage the censoring of lawful content. The letter added: 'We are concerned that the proscription of Palestine Action may result in an escalation of platforms removing content, using algorithms to hide Palestine solidarity posts and leave individuals and those reporting on events vulnerable to surveillance or even criminalisation for simply sharing or liking content that references nonviolent direct action. 'We are also concerned about what platforms understand by their legal duties regarding expressions of 'support' for Palestine Action.' An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'We have provided detailed guidance to platforms about how to identify the particular types of illegal and harmful material prohibited or restricted by the act, including how to determine whether content may have been posted by a proscribed organisation. 'There is no requirement on companies to restrict legal content for adult users. In fact, they must carefully consider how they protect users' rights to freedom of expression while keeping people safe.'
