This week, Conservative MPs and Lords condemned increasing levels of antisemitism and debated online harms legislation at fringe events during the online Conservative Party Conference.
In their first ever fringe event, the Board of Deputies of British Jews featured speakers including Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins MP and newly elected MP Saqib Bhatti alongside Rt. Hon. Robert Halfon MP and Lord Popat.
The Holocaust Educational Trust co-hosted a meeting with the Antisemitism Policy Trust, with CFI Parliamentary Chairman (Lords) Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles and former Cabinet Minister Rt. Hon. Baroness Morgan.
In both meetings, Conservative parliamentarians shared their experiences of online abuse and discussed the importance of strengthening legislation on the issue.
Minister Atkins said that the Government’s response to the consultation on the Online Harms White Paper will be published shortly. Rt. Hon. Robert Halfon MP emphasised the importance of education, noting that lessons on dealing with online hate should be “embedded in the national curriculum”, while Lord Popat condemned the spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories online.
Referring to the IHRA definition, Saqib Bhatti MP said that “having such a framework doesn’t mean we’re inhibiting free speech, it means we’re stopping the world of free speech being corrupted by those who seek to divide us”.
Addressing the HET and Antisemitism Policy Trust event, Baroness Morgan underlined the importance of legislating against online abuse: “We do believe in free speech and the free press in this country, and we do believe, up to a point, in the right to offend others… But there does come a point where the societal impacts of what is allowed to spread unchecked is so massive and so detrimental, and social media, particularly Twitter but other platforms too, has become part of the public space, the public square of debate. The answer is definitely not to say well if you don’t like it then leave”.
Lord Pickles said the legislation was “about keeping people safe” and ensuring that “people are not made to feel uncomfortable or frightened”.
