USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO SPARK RIOTS

During the same week that a Freedom of Expression Summit took place in Manzini, the misuse of social media was a major topic of discussion, both locally and internationally. The summit, which was organised by the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) in partnership with the Campaign for Free Expression (CFE), was held at The George Hotel in Manzini.

One of the key issues addressed at the summit was media censorship and its perceived impact on the media in Eswatini. It was noted that there was a curious parallel between the blame placed on social media for inciting unrest in both Eswatini and the United Kingdom. In Eswatini, the unrest began in May 2021 and continued until the end of 2022, while in the UK, social upheaval is still ongoing. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eswatini, Pholile Shakantu, spoke to members of her ministry’s Portfolio Committee during a session debating the ministry’s performance report for the first quarter.

The minister emphasised that Eswatini was not concerned about the criticism from influential politicians in other countries who depicted the kingdom as undemocratic. She stated that such individuals were not educated about the Tinkhundla System and its democratic nature. The minister then addressed the impact of social media, blaming it for contributing to the deadly social unrest that affected the country in 2021.  She emphasised the need for the kingdom to invest in technology to monitor the use of social media.

Violence

According to the minister, such technology could help prevent a new wave of unrest. Shakantu informed Members of Parliament (MPs) that some countries already possessed and were using such equipment to prevent potential acts of violence. The minister’s statement received support from MPs, who commended the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) for its resilience during the 2021 unrest. It is widely known that social media was extensively used to discuss and even encourage the social instability in Eswatini in 2021.

Although to a lesser extent, this is still happening as the public vents its frustrations over issues such as poor service delivery, unavailability of medical drugs and high unemployment.
Some people believe that only a change in regime will bring prosperity to emaSwati. There are no calls for regime change in the UK, but government has been dealing with significant challenges since July 20, 2024.

Riots broke out across the country, resulting in injuries to several police officers and protesters. The riots occurred during anti-immigration protests in various towns and cities in Britain.
Far-right groups targeted mosques and hotels where asylum seekers stay. The riots were triggered by an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event for children in Southport, northern England, on July 29.

Three girls aged between six and nine were killed, and eight other children and two adults were injured. A 17-year-old male was arrested for the crime, but false information circulated on social media, wrongly suggesting that the suspect was an Islamist migrant.  This misinformation led to violent anti-Muslim protests in Southport and an attempted attack on the town’s mosque the following day.

Damage

Despite clarification from the London police that the suspect was born in Britain, the damage had already been done. On the day following the Southport murders, several thousand people gathered near Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office in central London to protest. More than 100 arrests were made following clashes with the police. Since then, riots have broken out in over 20 locations across Britain, including spreading as far as Belfast in Northern Ireland. Most of the protests have involved a few hundred people targeting migrants or Muslims, with incidents such as police vehicles being set alight and mosques and police officers being attacked with bricks, bottles, and other projectiles.

Additionally, shops, including Asian-owned businesses, have been vandalised or looted. Does this sound familiar? It is reminiscent of similar atrocious events that occurred in a certain southern African country in June-July 2021.  According to Reuters, high-profile anti-immigration and anti-Muslim activists have openly promoted the protests online and have been accused by politicians and the media of peddling misinformation to stoke tensions. In the UK, social media firms like Meta, which owns Facebook  and Telegram have been accused by the government of not doing enough to stop the spread of disinformation.

The UK Government is taking action against both the rioters and those who used social media to spread trouble. One man has been charged with using threatening words or behaviour on Facebook to stir up racial hatred. Facebook is the most popular social network in Eswatini. Britain’s Science Minister, Peter Kyle, met with representatives from TikTok, Meta, Google, and others to emphasise their responsibility to help stop incitement and the spread of false information.

Abused

PM Starmer has blamed social media disinformation for the riots. Eswatini’s minister of Foreign Affairs is not alone in worrying about how social media may be abused to fuel riots.
The UK, as one of the oldest democracies in the world, is also dealing with the same challenge, where citizens enjoy many rights and privileges. I understand Minister Shakantu’s concerns about monitoring disinformation on social media. It’s clear that social media caused much chaos during the 2021 unrest, although we cannot solely blame the unrest on the platform. We also cannot ignore how social media is being used to tarnish reputations and destroy businesses with no proof.

With just a click of a button, the damage is done before the statement is corrected.  However, if government were to eventually obtain the technology to monitor social media posts and remove those it deemed as inciting violence, it should be responsible and fair enough to ensure that people still had a platform to raise other grievances, like complaining about unrepaired roads, the shortage of teachers, government’s failure to create an environment for more job opportunities, and say, police brutality, as and when it occurs.
 There is a difference between incitement and responsibly raising concerns.

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