British Prime Minister Liz Truss has pledged that her government with continue with the Online Safety Bill, which proponents have said is needed to combat online antisemitic hate.
According to the UK Jewish News, Truss said that she will ensure the passage of the legislation but may add “tweaks” to the measure.
Truss told Conservative MP Jeremy Wright that she was fully committed to passing “balanced, sensible regulation,” replying that she was convinced of the need to “protect people’s safety online.”
The bill was originally put forward as a means of safeguarding British youth online but has been expanded by Conservative ministers to be used to fight online antisemitism.
During Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, Truss said: ”I can assure my honourable friends that we will be proceeding with the Online Safety Bill.”
“What I want to make sure is that we protect the underage teens from harm, but we also want to make sure free speech is allowed… So there may be some tweaks required.”
The director of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, Danny Stone, praised Truss for confirming that the legislation will proceed.
“It is legislation which has been debated and discussed over many years already and I hope she will consider the wide range of expertise and input it has already benefitted from and not seek to drastically alter a bill which despite being imperfect was broadly supported by victims groups and industry stakeholders alike,” he told the Jewish News.
Minister in Boris Johnson’s government had promised the Jewish community that the legislation would tackle online hate, including antisemitism.
But the measure had been delayed due to criticism by free speech advocates and a reference to banning content that was “legal but harmful” that critics argued was too vague.