UK Government must take tougher stance against social media giants for racism, says Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has called on the UK Government to adopt a more stringent approach in holding social media companies accountable for the spread of racial and religious intolerance on their platforms.

Speaking today, Mr ap Iorwerth emphasised the responsibility of social media giants, traditional media, and politicians in contributing to the recent surge in hate speech and extremist rhetoric.

Highlighting the recent steps taken by Ireland’s Taoiseach, Simon Harris, who announced severe penalties for social media companies breaching Irish laws, Mr ap Iorwerth urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to “speed up changes in the law” in the UK.

He said: “The recent rise in racial and religious intolerance hasn’t emerged from nowhere. Rioters chanting ‘stop the boats’ and ‘we want our country back’ reflect language used by politicians, including Prime Ministers, MPs, and Senedd members. For many years, politicians have normalised intolerance – amplified by parts of the British media – in order to deflect blame onto others for the political failure in addressing the scourge of deprivation in our communities.

“We in Wales must now challenge the conditions that embolden the far right, to stem the growth of this social crisis. We do that by ending the normalisation of racism and religious intolerance. We do it by ensuring that communities don’t feel forgotten, and by accepting responsibility for endemic poverty and deprivation. If we fail to address those underlying issues, the feeling of isolation that make people vulnerable to extremist ideas will only worsen.

“Those newspapers that poison our public discourse bear a responsibility for this crisis, but it also extends beyond traditional media to digital platforms like Twitter, now X, which Elon Musk has turned into a breeding ground for hate and division. He in particular plays a significant role in this current crisis and must be held accountable.

“It is encouraging to see the Taoiseach of Ireland announce more stringent codes of conduct to hit social media companies with fines of tens of millions of euros if they breach Irish laws. The UK must also take a much tougher stance, and work internationally to ensure there is no escape from accountability for these social media giants. I urge the UK Government to speed up changes in the law to combat the spread of racial and religious intolerance on social media sites, and to lead international efforts to hold them accountable.”