The fact that GB News has published this disclaimer suggests it is well aware it’s under the spotlight for the rioters’ recent behaviour, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.
It may have escaped your attention, but staff at GB ‘News’ are attempting to cover their backs with a quasi-legal disclaimer following the recent riots. Having been accused of incitement, the statement is being circulated on social media, aimed, presumably, at distancing themselves from any past or future blame. The disclaimer – considering the derision it has attracted – is unlikely to have been drafted by a lawyer. Perhaps, with Nigel Farage’s salary of seemingly over £3,000 per hour, expensive legal services are not within the realm of GB News budgets.
The disclaimer – not worth the paper it’s written on
The statement being shared by presenters Dan Wootton, Bev Turner and others reads as follows:
“None of the information posted or repeated on this account is known by its author to be false, nor intended to stir racial or any hatred of, nor cause psychological or physical harm to, any person or group of people (howsoever identified).”
Or, in other words, we’re not knowingly lying, nor intentionally inciting racial hatred or harm to anyone, so no harm, no foul, nothing to do with me guv, I just work here. Except that the disclaimer content is meaningless – and as many commentators have pointed out – totally ineffective as a legal strategy.
Have you noticed the slew of provocative accounts posting idiotic legal disclaimers about their tweets?
(It's the equivalent of driving a car with a large sticker on it: "Whatever your speed gun reads, it was never my intention to break the limit, so you can't prosecute me.") pic.twitter.com/G92tDXua8F
— Edwin Hayward (@edwinhayward) August 20, 2024
Author and commentator Edwin Hayward described the statement as the equivalent of driving a car with a large sticker on it saying, “whatever your speed gun reads, it was never my intention to break the limit, so you can’t prosecute me”. Criminal lawyer and author, The Secret Barrister, described the disclaimer as about as useful as a bank robber wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “I am not dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it”.
Who’s to blame for the riots?
While arguments continue about whether or not GB News is actually a news channel – especially in the eyes of broadcasting regulator Ofcom – the organisation itself describes itself on X as a “media and news company”. The fact that it has published the disclaimer suggests it is well aware of being under the spotlight, even if staff accept no responsibility for the behaviour of the rioters.
However, where they themselves might suggest they are blameless, the British public has other ideas. In a recent YouGov poll there was little support for the unrest, the majority saying it was “unjustified” – the instigators were the rioters themselves, social and mainstream media and organised far-right groups.
In polling conducted by Savanta, the finger of blame was more directly pointed, with 51% blaming Reform UK Limited, and its leader Farage in particular. EDL leader Tommy Robinson came a close second, with billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, in third place.
Farage was particularly criticised for posting a video within hours of the killing of three young girls in Southport, suggesting that “the truth is being withheld from us”. Farage was later forced to admit that he had repeated false claims made on social media by controversial commentator Andrew Tate and others.
Farage himself has not, as yet, posted the disclaimer so favoured by his fellow GB News employees.
The riots in the UK were entirely the result of allowing the Daily Mail, GB News, Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson, Andrew Tate, and all the others to spew their bile to hundeds of thousands every single day.
— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) August 19, 2024
Dealing with the damage
Thanks largely to the swift action of the government, the police and the courts, those responsible for the violence, looting and incitement are being brought to justice, or soon will be. But these are not ordinary British citizens protesting over perceived, justifiable grievances – these are criminals, whipped up into a frenzy by those wishing only to cause trouble and division. Not just petty criminals either – around 70% of those recently convicted are career criminals with an average of 15 previous convictions each for weapons possession, violence, drugs and other serious offenses.
Whether it’s due to the threat of custodial sentences, or the presence of the overwhelming support demonstrated by the British public in defence of those being targeted, the thugs have gone quiet, at least for now. The hate and division that was fuelled by Brexit and the far-right has not gone away, but for now the threat of further riots seems to have dissipated.
Nothing will change until we defend immigration
Blaming immigrants for the ills of the nation is hardly a new concept, but it’s a dangerous weapon that’s been wielded by fascists and dictators for generations. It has proved a successful tool for stirring up hatred of foreigners amongst those feeling left behind and looking to apportion blame. While the current situation may not be the fault of the current government, it must take responsibility for what happens next.
Labour’s handling of the rioting was welcome, quick and effective, and their rhetoric condemning the behaviour of the rioters was the strongest we’ve heard to date. What is needed now is further strong language in defence of immigration, diversity, and multi-culturalism.
UK businesses have always understood the economic argument for immigration and, since Brexit, public attitudes are “increasingly positive” too – that’s according to the International Organisation for Migration. It’s high time that the new government plays catch-up. The rioters that caused so much damage – and those that egged them on – do not speak for the vast majority of the British public or represent what it means to be British in the 21st century.
In order to prevent a repeat performance of the recent civic upheaval, we must get tougher on the culprits by whatever means necessary. But until we start telling the truth about immigration – that it’s not only economically essential, but also life-affirming and culturally enriching – we are never going to move forward. The UK is, and always has been, a multi-cultural society. Let’s stop apologising for that and start celebrating that fact.
