Furious Yvette Cooper's warning to social media firms over Southport video refusal

London- Alsharq Tribune-Mohamed Al Otaify

Furious Yvette Cooper has lashed out at social media firms who refused to remove violent videos watched by the Southport killer shortly before the sickening attack. The Home Secretary has written to X, Meta, TikTok, Google, and YouTube demanding material watched by Axel Rudakubana is taken down. But she said this has been ignored.

She described it as "frankly disgraceful" and said online giants have a "moral responsibility" to ensure people cannot access dangerous material. It has emerged that Rudakubana, who murdered three young girls and attempted to murder dozens more at a dance class last July, watched one video moments before leaving home on the day of the attack.

Ms Cooper said: "There been some further content contact with some of those social media companies, but our understanding is that much of that material is still available online. I think, frankly, that is disgraceful because I think they have a moral responsibility to act."

Shortly before leaving home to carry out the attack, Rudakubana had watched sickening footage of an attack on a Bishop in Australia. Although this was removed there, it can still be accessed in the UK.

The Home Secretary said there is evidence the material "was a part of that crime" - saying it highlights why it must be removed. She said: ""It is a moral responsibility on these tech companies to protect our children and to make sure that when you've got one of the most horrendous crimes imaginable, and when there is evidence that there was material online that was a part of that crime, I really think they have a moral responsibility to act.

Asked if she was angry, Ms Cooper said: "I really am, because I just think you said, you know, we had the most horrendous crime and responsibility for that crime lies with the perpetrator who is now in prison. But there is still a responsibility on everyone to do what they can to keep people safe and to address this, this wider problem that we have about a growing violent extremism among teenagers."

Ms Cooper went on: "The new Online Safety Act measures come in this spring, and that will mean that there will be a legal requirement on companies to remove illegal content to have systems to do so, they will face penalties."

And she said the Government is prepared to "go further" if online giants do not comply.