A view from 'The Bridge': Free speech is precious, but we must use it responsibly

A man walks into a pub. It could have been the first line of a joke, except in this case it was not.

That is because, as far as the police have been able to establish, the confusion, disruption, inconvenience, and, let’s face it, the fear that descended on Gloucester and Cheltenham on 7 August, was caused by a random remark in a pub that took flight.

Workers were sent home early. Businesses decided to close. Shop windows boarded-up. Shows were cancelled. All because a few loose words, spoken in the wrong place at the wrong time, went viral on social media. 

We can laugh at that old First World War classic of miscommunication when “Send reinforcements, we’re going to advance”, evolved up the line into “Send three and four pence, we’re going to a dance”. (About 17p these days, but it doesn’t read as well). Unfortunately, what followed on that Wednesday afternoon were a succession of ‘warning’ messages, sent out in good faith, but which served to stoke-up tensions even more.

Let me be clear, I lay no blame at the doors of those businesses and organisations who, displaying commendable care for their employees, decided to close early as a precaution. And, as always, I am full of admiration for police officers and staff who turned-out in the best traditions of the Constabulary, not knowing what the night held in store. In such times, the ‘Thin Blue Line’ is a calming presence. I know this also from the number of people who got in touch to say how reassured they were by the policing response on our streets.

Gloucestershire has a well-earned reputation for welcoming disparate communities. In parts of Gloucester alone, more than sixty languages can be heard and, by and large, we seem to rub along quite nicely. Other parts of the country, though, were not so lucky, leading to fingers being pointed at social media as one of the main instigators of the violence that transpired elsewhere.

You might say social media facilitated the lawlessness that transpired elsewhere, and there has to be some way of curbing its worst excesses, and I say that both as a user and as a fan. Freedom of speech and the ability to express a point of view are essential to our democracy, but with rights come responsibilities, and we should all remember that, including the social media companies themselves.