Man falsely accused by Tommy Robinson calls for stricter laws

Tommy Robinson falsely claimed that Abdul Hai was found not guilty of the murder of teenager Richard Everitt in 1994.

• Pramod Thomas
• 01 October, 2024

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By: Pramod Thomas

A MAN wrongfully accused of murder by Tommy Robinson on X is advocating for new laws to regulate Elon Musk’s social media platform, claiming it has turned into a “space for racism, bigotry, bias, prejudice, and disinformation.”

Abdul Hai, who was found not guilty of the murder of teenager Richard Everitt in 1994 said that that he is planning legal action against the site, previously known as Twitter.

This comes after Robinson, known for his far-right views, asserted in a post that Hai had been convicted of the crime, reported the Guardian.

The incident occurred in 1994 when 15-year-old Everitt was fatally stabbed in a racially motivated attack in London. Although one person, Badrul Miah, was convicted of conspiring to murder Everitt, and another, Showat Akbar, was found guilty of violent disorder, Hai was acquitted by the judge, who ruled there was no evidence linking him to the attack.

However, Robinson’s post falsely claimed that Hai had been convicted alongside Miah and Akbar.

After discovering this, Hai immediately reported the post to X and sent a letter to Robinson to inform him of the inaccuracy.

Despite this, the post remained online for more than three weeks and was viewed over 375,000 times. X eventually removed the post, but only after significant delays, and Robinson followed up by reposting a screenshot of the original, claiming he had deleted it to avoid suspension while appealing the removal.

Hai’s legal team sent a letter to X on 28 August demanding the removal of Robinson’s second post and a response by 11 September. X took down the post on 6 September and replied to Hai’s lawyers shortly before the deadline.

In their response, X said that their aim was to support public conversation and that they had taken appropriate action by removing the post.

However, Hai remains dissatisfied with the response, arguing that X’s policies are not being adequately enforced. He believes that Robinson’s repeated posting of false claims and the platform’s failure to act promptly highlight the need for stricter regulations on social media companies.

Hai, who was traumatised by the original false accusation in 1994, said his life had been deeply affected by the recent event. He stressed that while social media provides a platform for people to express themselves, it should not be used to spread disinformation and hate speech.

He has urged the UK government to pass laws that hold platforms accountable for the content they host and to take stronger action against those who spread false allegations.

Harry Eccles-Williams, a partner at the law firm Mishcon de Reya, said that legal action against X had to be taken in the US, where section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects social media platforms from legal liability for content posted by users.

He noted that since Elon Musk acquired X, the content moderation team has been significantly reduced, leading to an increase in harmful content. “Currently, there isn’t much that can be done. However, the Online Safety Act could bring about changes, and I anticipate a significant clash between X and Ofcom in 2025.”

An X spokesperson confirmed that the posts concerning Hai were removed in compliance with UK law and that the matter was resolved by 6 September.