On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
Those outside the UK might not have heard, but it’s been a violent week in the UK. Here’s a quick rundown of the official story so far:
Four days ago a 17-year-old allegedly walked into a children’s “Taylor Swift dance class” (whatever that might be) in Southport and started stabbing little girls, wounding 10 and killing 3.
It was initially reported the boy was a muslim immigrant.
This story was, however, reversed within hours, the new story “revealing” that he was actually born in Cardiff, the son of Rwandan immigrants. He was named as “Axel Muganwa Rudakubana” late yesterday.
His religious affiliation, if any, seems not to have been firmly established.
Another young man was, allegedly, arrested later while in possession of a machete and balaclava at a vigil for the victims. He was, again, reportedly Muslim.
This, allegedly, resulted in what are described as protests and riots, the destruction of a brick wall outside a mosque and the burning of a police van.
Further alleged riots subsequently sprang up in London and Hartlepool.
This is the current narrative. None of the details has been substantiated as yet, so how much you decide to believe is your personal preference at this point.
At OffG we reserve the right to be sceptical. Of everything.
There are a lot of unanswered questions, and the current level of “mourning” by government institutions and groups in no way directly affected by the tragedy always has a taint of the performative that shouldn’t be too quickly conflated with insincerity or worse.
And, of course, all of this is coming hot on the heels of the Manchester Airport incident, where police officers and Muslim youths allegedly clashed violently in as yet obscure circumstances.
Plus the violence in Whitechapel and Leeds a couple of weeks ago.
Then, as now, both sides were provided with adequate rage-bait to get them worked up.
Whatever the truth of this latest incident, and whatever long term aims it might be used to further, this “strategy of tension” has an immediate political agenda already becoming clear – and it’s as predictable as ever.
Further limit social media/free speech
Normalise constant surveillance
Attacking free speech is the ever-present, eternal agenda that comes before everything else and it’s been a real pile-on the last few days.
The Hill headlines “Misinformation floods social media in wake of breakneck news cycle”, Sky News went with “Southport attack misinformation fuels far-right discourse on social media”
ABC News reports: “Online misinformation fueled tensions over the stabbing attack in Britain that killed 3 children”
The Byline Times collectively scolds society’s negligence: “‘We All Need To Consider Our Role in the Wild West of Social Media Hypercriminality’”
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (an NGO funded by the usual suspects) has timelined it all for our convenience: From rumours to riots: How online misinformation fuelled violence in the aftermath of the Southport attack
The BBC asks “Did social media fan the flames of riot in Southport?” and Telepgraph answers very much in the affirmative, cutting right to the heart of the matter [emphasis added]:
Unregulated social media disinformation is wrecking Britain – Free speech must come with accountability
The Times skips past establishing the problem right to apportioning blame: “Who is behind Southport social media storm — and can they be stopped?”
The Guardian has decided the answer is TikTok (and AI): “How TikTok bots and AI have powered a resurgence in UK far-right violence”
The New York Times demands to know what social media companies are going to do about it:
The U.
