270 children arrested after post-Southport riots 'turbo-charged' by 'hateful' bots

The outbreak of riots after the Southport knife attack was 'turbo-charged' by online bots spreading 'hateful' misinformation, according to UK counter-terrorism officials. Police & Crime Commissioners and senior police officers have given an update about the ongoing investigations into the riots including details around the number of arrests and how many people were subsequently charged.

Violence erupted across the country in after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a children's dance event in Southport. After false reports began to proliferate online, rioting originally broke out in Southport on July 30 when hundreds of people gathered outside Southport Mosque and started hurling bricks and attempted to break in the front door.

More than 50 officers were injured in the night of violence, which was followed by further rioting in Liverpool and multiple locations across the country. In the days following, hundreds of people were involved in acts of violence targeting property entirely unrelated to the event.

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Addressing the rumours and misinformation seen after the Southport knife attack, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Matt Jukes hit out at 'unhelpful' domestic commentators who knowingly misled people, he said: “The vast majority of that messaging, which was problematic online, was domestic, driven by people who lived in our communities, who were stoking fear in those communities.

“But we have seen that turbo-charged by bots online. And so as we were tracking the amount of traffic, hateful traffic, during the 24-hour period across the days, we would see tremendous spikes as around midnight, bots kicked in.

“And we would just see the amplification, automation of that reach of those messages which were at times hateful, at times misinformation.”

Figures released by police now reveal the full-scale of the operations during and after the riots, culminating in 1,015 charges and 1,590 arrests - including 270 children. Police added there were 99 arrests for online offences, but said the vast majority of investigations relate to in-person disorder, violence and vandalism. Furthermore, statistics published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show the summer rioting and disorder cost £31.7 million and accounted for more than 40,000 hours of public order police shifts.

Merseyside Police & Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Following the tragic events in Southport, individuals online manipulated that grief to whip up hatred and division toward vulnerable communities.

“People were naturally outraged and were sharing content online, and it was this misinformation that contributed to the crime and disorder that we saw across the country."

Ms Spurrell added: "The severity of some of the sentences that have been passed down, following the riots, not only to those who took part, but also to those who peddled lies and hatred online, needs to serve as a warning to everybody about what could happen if you are caught sharing dangerous or inciteful content online.

“It won’t be tolerated and here on Merseyside, and across the country, our police forces are committed to tracking down offenders and bringing them to justice.”