Amid race riots rocking the UK, the director of public prosecutions of England and Wales issued a dystopian warning to citizens, stating that merely retweeting a social media post that’s “insulting” to an ethnic group could lead to criminal charges.

“We do have dedicated police officers who are scouring social media to look for this material, and then follow up with arrests,” said Stephen Parkinson.

The director’s comments come after videos were posted on social media capturing riots that have ignited since a 17-year-old man went on a stabbing spree at a children’s dance event in a small northwest England town. Police haven’t identified the motivation for the heinous act that killed three children and injured several others. 

A number of social media users assumed the attack was by an Islamic extremist immigrant. A judge subsequently released the name of the attacker in an attempt to quell the riots: Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old male born in the United Kingdom to Rwandan parents.

Meanwhile, a reporter on Good Morning Britain called for a temporary full-out ban on social media, as “only a temporary measure amid the spread of inflammatory information. Misinformation as well.”

Musk targeted

X CEO Elon Musk has faced significant criticism from UK government officials related to his comments on the riots. Musk posted that “civil war is inevitable,” suggesting that mass immigration in the UK has reached a point of no return.

Justice Minister Heidi Alexander later said Musk’s comment was “in no way acceptable,” adding, “We are seeing police officers being seriously injured, buildings set alight, and so I really do think that everyone who has a platform should be exercising their power responsibly.”