A post on X claims that citizens of the U.K. can face up to 15 years in prison for viewing “far-right” propaganda.
Oh, so now you can be thrown in prison for 15 years in the UK for simply VIEWING what they deem as propaganda now? https://t.co/nKmw0o1tPn
— Jason DeBolt ⚡️ (@jasondebolt) November 13, 2024
Verdict: False
The law is meant for those that view “terrorist propaganda” and “intend to take part in it.”
Fact Check:
Concerns around mass censorship arose in Europe after a mass stabbing that killed three children in Southport, U.K. this past July. The attack led to some of the worst rioting seen in years, and authorities blamed the unrest on social media posts criticizing the citizenship of the attacker, a teenaged U.K. citizen whose parents were born in Rwanda that was falsely claimed to be an asylum seeker. Government officials have threatened to crack down on online speech in the aftermath, with multiple arrests having been made already.
A post being shared on X claims that U.K. citizens can face up to 15 years in prison if they are caught viewing “far-right” propaganda. “Oh, so now you can be thrown in prison for 15 years in the UK for simply VIEWING what they deem as propaganda now,” the post reads in part.
This is not true, however. There is no legal definition of “far-right propaganda,” and simply viewing any of it is not grounds for criminal charges. The law in question is also at least 5 years old, and focuses on terroristic-related material.
Per section one of the law, the text states that any images or articles must be done by a “proscribed organization” to be considered an offense. At no point does the law consider independent speech or non-violent speech as terroristic. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Make A Post Responding To The Guardian And Don Lemon Announcing They’re Leaving X?)
The X post includes a screenshot of an article from Brietbart, an American media outlet known for it’s conservative views. The article, titled “UK To Imprison People Who View Far-Right Propaganda For Up To 15 Years,” was actually published in October of 2017 and predated the riots by almost eight years.
In emails to Lead Stories, multiple scholars explained the context of the laws being cited. They claim that the law is intended to prevent the dissemination of terrorist information and materials, and the word “propaganda” is not listed in the legislation. Citizens will only face charges if they don’t have a valid excuse for possessing documents pertaining to terrorism, and plan on acting on it in some way.
Critics have pointed to another law, titled the Online Safety Act, that seeks to grant power to other regulatory agencies for monitoring communication offenses. Some have suggested that the law violates free speech principles and poses threats to online privacy, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.