Something really unexpected happened today.

After the far right kicked off across the country, a judge decided to name the suspect in the Southport stabbing case,

all because of the lies that were spreading like wildfire across social media that he was a Muslim immigrant,

which kicked off days of ugly, alcohol-fueled riots across the country.

Figures like Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins were at the heart of it,

peddling conspiracy theories about why there wasn't more information out there about the attacker.

And that was then amplified by Nigel Farage, who is of course now an MP.

He went on to X, or Twitter, as I still call it, to ask, was the truth being withheld?

That post has been viewed six million times.

In the end, the judge decided that the only way to combat this misinformation

and the public disorder was to name the 17-year-old attacker. But will this really calm the mob?

Or will they see this as a vindication? I'm Liz Bates, and today on the Daily, we'll be asking how misinformation online can suddenly erupt into violence in the streets.

And what on earth are we going to do about it?

So first of all, let's speak to Tom Cheshire, who is our data and forensics correspondent.

The first thing that I really want to ask you is, part of what seems to have been really

driving the riots that we've seen in the streets, in Southport, first of all, but in other

areas of the country as well, is this idea that information is being purposely withheld

from the public, in particular, on the suspect. Now, that position

has changed today. We couldn't name him. And today, the judge has said that he can be named.

So just, you know, explain that to us. Yeah, I mean, it took us by surprise. You know, we were

talking about why these things, you know, information was being withheld. You're right. And it was being withheld for a reason because this is a 17-year-old. It's a child. They legally can't be identified. Sometimes that can be changed, but certainly not before it comes to court. What we've heard today is that that has changed. And it's extraordinary, actually. I think there's two things. two things yeah i mean the first of it was specifically to address the misinformation that had been flying

around which i can't think of happening now we have to caveat because he was being there were names going

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