Social media platforms that allow ‘false news and untruths’ to spark unrest and riots should face consequences.

Plymouth City Council’s cabinet committee heard how the city had been thrust into the media spotlight by disturbances fuelled by social media disinformation in the wake of the killing of three young girls at a dance class on Merseyside.

Protests, including racist incidents, spread across the country, and in Plymouth, several police officers were injured as groups clashed in the city centre. By Tuesday this week, police had made 18 arrests in connection with the violence, with 16 people charged.

Several are now starting prison sentences, and others are yet to hear their fate.

“We must not allow ourselves to be divided by racists,” said Cllr Sally Haydon (Lab, St Budeaux), cabinet member for community safety. “We need to join others to lobby social media companies to take action against those who use their platforms to peddle false news and untruths.”

She said the wave of protests around the country had been based on ‘lies, untruths and misinformation’ on social media, and showed a ‘deep-rooted hatred’ towards certain communities.

“Racism is a hate crime,” she said. “It will not be tolerated here in Plymouth.

“It is incumbent on all of us to call out hate crime. We must not allow ourselves to be divided by racists.

“We want Plymouth to be a united city; one that celebrates diversity in all communities. Our strength is that we come together time after time, and we must continue to show compassion and understanding to all those that live in our city.”