argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I can assure him that had Scotland reached the same dizzy heights as England, I would have been cheering them on with great passion and strength of feeling, so I am pleased that he was able to concede some support for the England team As for the hon. Gentleman’s wider question about racism and hate speech across society, he is right to acknowledge that this is a matter for us all to tackle. As a member of the Home Affairs Committee, he will be aware of the work that the Government are doing to tackle hate speech and hate crimes. Of course, "hate crimes" is a very broad term: it includes not only racism but hatred towards disabled people, hatred towards transgender people, and so on. That is why we have asked the Law Commission to look at online crimes to ensure that the position is up to date and meets our expectations However, there is a wider message on racism more generally. I have been overwhelmed by the public’s response to those trolls over the weekend—by, for example, the way they responded to what happened to the mural in Withington: how angry they were that some individual had defaced it, and how positive their reaction has been. I think that that is what we need to reflect on and act on. Indeed, that is why I quoted our team’s manager. I think he has summed up where the public are and where we are on this, and I think it is by working together that we will tackle some of these hateful attitudes.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Marco Longhi (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that the Home Secretary herself has been at the receiving end of terrible racist abuse. Does the Minister agree that fighting racism online and in any other form is a priority for her and for the Government? Does she also agree that that fight will be most effective when racism and anti-racism campaigns are fully understood by everyone, and that what really matters is meaningful action to tackle the scourge of racism?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): Very much so. The Home Secretary has been targeted,, along with other Members on both sides of the House, and it seems that, sadly, women in particular—women of colour—are targeted by online trolls There are many, many people in our society who have to deal with this racism, not just online but, I am afraid, offline. I think that part of our national conversation should be about how each of us can show our complete support for the campaigns to combat racism, and how we can all ensure that we are doing everything we can, both individually and as a country, to tackle racist behaviour. I know that the Home Secretary feels very strongly about this, and indeed she has been particularly strong in her communications with tech companies throughout the two years for which she has been in office; but I also know that this is a feeling shared by many in the House, and, as I say, I am very conscious that there are others in this place who are victims as well.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with the right hon. Lady, the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee. I do not think these tech companies quite understand the anger and frustration of everyone involved in trying to scrutinise and hold them to account when they come back at us with, "It doesn’t meet our community rules." Words such as the words I suspect she is thinking about, the emojis, the language—that is unacceptable in any civilised society, and that includes online fora as well as offline. The Bill is a real opportunity for the Government to lay the law down but also, as I say, for parliamentarians across the House to make their views known. I have long urged the companies to listen carefully to Members of Parliament, and I would urge them again to do so, because if they do not listen, we will act.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Felicity Christiana Buchan (Conservative, Centre-right): As someone who represents one of the most diverse constituencies in the entire country, may I put on the record how abhorrent racism is, in any form? Does my hon. Friend agree that many of these online trolls hide behind the cloak of anonymity? Can she confirm that the police can still prosecute anonymous postings, and will she consider whether we should outlaw such online posting? I think that people would take more personal responsibility if it were in their own name.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend alights upon a very important point, but also one that will require the scrutiny and debate of this House. While we know that many, many cowards hide behind anonymous accounts, there are people who use their anonymity legitimately—victims of domestic abuse, for example, and indeed whistleblowers in very restrictive regimes overseas. I know that this place, when we come to scrutinise the Bill, will weigh those arguments up very carefully, but again, I have great sympathy with my hon. Friend’s viewpoint that if people are able to hide behind these accounts anonymously, of course that makes it much more difficult for the police to trace them. Again, we need to think through collectively where we are prepared to draw the boundaries in the wild west of the internet.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I had hoped that we would be able to conduct this debate in a measured and collective way. I do not genuinely think the hon. Lady is accusing either the Prime Minister of this country or, indeed, the Home Secretary of racism. That would be a truly extraordinary allegation to make. I hope that, at some point, we will be able to work together to tackle racism. That is what we all want to do. That is what the work of this Government is directed towards. I hope that we can lower the tone a little bit and understand that in—[Interruption.] Again, the hon. Lady is trying to shout at me. In tackling these horrific instances of racism, we need to work collectively together, and shouting at me across the Dispatch Box is not going to help with that.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend agree that the incidents of racism on social media over the past few days show why the approach taken in the draft Online Safety Bill is right? We need an independent regulator that will hold companies to account. Those companies have failed to take down this abuse, even though it is against their platform policies, and they have failed to take it down when people have complained about it. Worse than that, their own recommendation tools were actually promoting the content on Sunday night. This has to stop, but it will only stop once there is independent regulation of these companies.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I suspect I am not the only person who feels a little astonished that it is this right hon. Member who chose to ask that question about taking immediate action to tackle racism. I remind the House of the findings of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission under his watch—Labour has "unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or victimised people because they are Jewish." I am also reminded that a Jewish female MP had to have police protection at the right hon. Gentleman’s party conference, because of fears for her own safety. I will listen to many people about tackling racism and I will work with pretty much anyone, but I will take a long spoon with which to sup with this particular Member.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I am extremely grateful to the right hon. Lady and mindful of her own experiences with abuse, online and offline. I agree that of course these powers exist already, so one can only conclude that in the cases highlighted in this Chamber and in newspapers, the businesses concerned do not wish to remove those items; I have no doubt that if I am wrong, they will correct me There must be a will there. I very much hope that a former Member of this House—one Sir Nick Clegg, who, as we know, advises Facebook at a very senior level in California—is advising Facebook as to the powers of this place and the anger that Members across the Chamber feel. It seems to me that responding to these concerns makes not just good moral sense, but good business sense.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Stephen James Metcalfe (Conservative, Centre-right): The abuse that we saw after England’s heroic final Euro game is beyond disgusting and has no place in any world, let alone the modern world. I know that my hon. Friend will agree that it is not beyond the ingenuity of social media platforms to deploy their vast coding expertise to develop artificial intelligence and algorithmic solutions to rapidly remove disgusting, abusive racist posts while still being able to protect appropriate freedom of speech. Sadly, there is more than enough training data for them to use.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not know whether the hon. Lady was in the Chamber at the beginning of this urgent question when I explained that the Home Secretary is hosting a meeting—a long-standing meeting—with charities that work with survivors of violence against women and girls. I hope that the House will understand On the hon. Lady’s general allegations, I am minded to point out that the Home Secretary herself receives extraordinary levels of online hatred. Some of the things that she—and, in fairness, others across this House—have to deal with are eye-watering. I urge hon. Members to join together with us in tackling this racism On the petition, the hon. Lady may have missed the Prime Minister’s answer at Prime Minister’s questions. We are going even better than the petition, because we are looking urgently at football banning orders to ensure that people who express these racist views are stopped from going to our matches entirely.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Suzanne Webb (Conservative, Centre-right): I believe this great and united nation is one of the most tolerant and anti-discrimination nations I know, and that what we have witnessed is orchestrated hate crime by the minority and trolls. Does the Minister agree that we need tougher punishments for racially driven violence, intimidation and abuse on social media? The biggest issue I see is with the social media companies, which have been very slow to remove abuse from their platforms.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has worked assiduously not just on online hatred directed on racist grounds, but on other categories of people affected on social media, including women. I hope she will work tirelessly with the Government on our forthcoming Online Safety Bill to ensure not only that these companies do what they should do and clear out their own backyard, but that we work together to tackle the horrific attitudes that underline this abuse.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Caroline Ansell (Conservative, Centre-right): Since Sunday’s final, everyone I have spoken to in my constituency, everywhere I have been, has expressed nothing but pride in our England team. Racist abuse online has inspired an outpouring of support and solidary. By contrast, figures released by Twitter in 2020 show that the company responded to less than 50% of all requests for information from law enforcement in the UK. Alongside support for campaigns such as Kick It Out, does my hon. Friend agree that such social media platforms must seriously raise their game or face serious repercussions?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and I am delighted to hear that the football team have received such support in her constituency—I suspect that that is the experience of us all. The racist attitudes that have been displayed by a small number of people and trolls, some of which we know originate from overseas, are very much in the minority. The overwhelming majority of us are incredibly proud of our great team.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very happy to do that. I should point out that a huge programme of work continues, including the online crime hub run by the police, which we help to fund. Campaigns that help to tackle racism are clearly in our country’s interests, so I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss those issues further.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Luke Morgan Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): Sunday night should have been a celebration of achievement. Instead, we woke up the next morning with racism aimed at three men simply doing their job. That is not acceptable. We know that social media is at the centre of the storm and has a growing influence across our lives, from bullying and racism to my interest, which is in body image. Does my hon. Friend agree that social media campaigns and companies have a duty and responsibility to work proactively with Government and the police to better our society?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Other
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not have a timeframe to hand, but I will happily write to the hon. Gentleman on that. May I thank him, as a Man City fan and a Member of Parliament for one of the greatest cities on the planet, for highlighting the great humour and support that the people of Withington have shown?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Jacob Young (Conservative, Centre-right): We all know that social media companies have the tools and powers to prevent online hate, yet it is still happening day in, day out. The incidents following Sunday evening have shone a light on this disgusting abuse. If social media companies will not act on their own, what actions will the Government take to ensure that finally we put a full stop to online hate?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her comments; she spoke with such passion, and she is right. Every time she and other Members of this House stand up to speak on behalf of their constituents, they are role models. I am delighted that this House is more diverse than it has ever been, although it needs to be even more diverse. I am also very proud of the fact that the Government are more diverse than they have ever been. The fact that two of the great offices of state are filled by people who happen to be of ethnic minority heritage is a real credit to our country and to how one can achieve what one wants with hard work and effort On the hon. Lady’s question relating to executives, that is something we are looking at in the Bill. There are measures in it that have been set out to deal with executives. Of course, I welcome her and any other Members’ input to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that the Bill is meeting the expectations of all.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Some of these vile abusers are totally open, but the cloak of anonymity does embolden others. It also opens the door for hostile actors, with the divisive exploitation that can sometimes follow. As the Minister said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Felicity Buchan), anonymity is important in some contexts, including, for example, for survivors of domestic abuse, but it does not follow that it is therefore required in all contexts. If someone is communicating online in their own identity, should they not be able to say that they want to hear from and be commented on only by other people who are using their own identity? Will the Government please look at that again in the Online Safety Bill?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady knows that we have asked the Law Commission to look into the laws relating to malicious online communications. I declare my interest as a former prosecuting counsel. This is a horribly complex area of law, and as technology develops with, for example, deep fake images and so on, it becomes more complex. That is precisely why we asked the Law Commission to look into it. In terms of the hon. Lady’s other challenges, the Bill is going to be scrutinised at length by the House, so she will no doubt have the opportunity put her views forward. I want to get the message out that the Online Safety Bill needs to be considered carefully, because we very much want it to be a piece of legislation that stands the test of time. I cannot really think of another country in the world that has entered into such an ambitious project to try to bring some of these corners of the internet into the light so that we do not see these sorts of practices online.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Robert Butler (Conservative, Centre-right): Much of the online racist abuse against England’s footballers is thought to have originated from overseas social media accounts. What steps are she and her Department taking with counterparts in other countries to ensure that there is a concerted international effort to stamp out these appalling attacks so that there is no hiding place?
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I think my hon. Friend is referring to the early analysis by the Premier League. I hope he will be reassured by the fact that we are looking into this with some urgency. Given that it is a global football competition, it is perhaps no leap of the imagination to suppose that some of this abuse may have come from overseas, and we want to look at that carefully. This also underlines the point that the internet is available across the world and that we have to act collectively with other nation states in order to bring these trolls to heel. We are already doing that through the Five Eyes and through the voluntary principles that we have won agreement on in relation to child sexual exploitation and tackling terrorism.
Racist Abuse on Social Media — House of Commons, 2021-07-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the prevalence of racist abuse on social media.
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I am pleased to join the hon. Gentleman’s support for Northern Ireland. I am sure Italy will pose no problem for Northern Ireland, and I wish Northern Ireland all the greatest of success On the serious subject of our work to tackle the online hatred we saw again this weekend, the online safety Bill is a landmark piece of legislation and I look forward to working with the House on its passage.