Church of Scotland leader joins calls for Online Harms bill to be passed

That's the view of faith leaders from across the country who are calling on the UK Government to bring forward historic legislation to hold internet giants to account. 

The demand comes following a number of high-profile instances of abuse on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, including antisemitic tweets from the rapper Wiley. 

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Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, convener of the Faith Impact Forum of the Church of Scotland, is one of ten faith leaders to sign a joint-statement calling for the Online Harms bill to be introduced. 

Dr Brown, a former moderator of the kirk, said: "No-one should hide behind technology to make hurtful and hateful comments or to fuel people's prejudices.

“Words always have consequences and we would encourage people to use them to break down barriers, not build them.

“Christians believe that all people are made in God's image and that means we cannot see anyone mistreated or abused.

Dr Susan Brown

“Companies can't provide the means and take the profit without being held accountable.”

As well as Dr Brown, the statement has been signed the likes of Sally Patterson, from the Alliance of Jewish Women, and Rajnish Kashyap, general secretary, Hindu Council UK. 

It reads: "As faith leaders and heads of faith-based organisations we stand in solidarity with all those who have faced abuse and hatred on social media. The events of recent weeks are another painful reminder of the extent of real world harm that can be caused online. 

The rapper Wiley was dumped by his record label for sending a stream of tweets

"The prevalence of racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic and Anti-Hindu hate underlines how the social media companies continue to fall short. We cannot continue to rely on their piecemeal approach to online abuse. 

"Today, we are calling on the UK Government to bring forward the Online Harms legislation as a matter of urgency. The UK Government promised to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online but their flagship Online Harm legislation continues to be delayed.

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"This legislation must take us away from a reliance on a reactive approach where the rules are set by the companies. The social media companies must be held to account when they design their services in a way that encourages and facilitates hate." 

The UK Government has been contacted for comment.