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Prediction: Harassment of bombing victims will prompt legislation

Social, Regulation
Casualty
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Proposals to establish legislation to deter and punish harassment of individuals through online misinformation campaigns will gather momentum. A recent High Court decision found that two victims of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 had been harassed by an individual who claimed that the attack had been staged, and that the victims were perpetrating a hoax along with others as 'crisis actors'. The claim was brought under the Protection of Harassment Act, and the Court concluded that the actions of the defendant represented a reckless abuse of media freedom. In response to the decision, one of the victims proposed a new law to deter individuals from publishing unfounded opinions and allegations in their efforts to challenge official accounts of serious incidents, causing further injury to and promoting harassment of victims.

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