ell

the purpose is not to remove young people from the internet. the purpose is to remove anonymity from the internet in a country where the government routinely punishes dissent with jail. the british caliphate is no longer free.

RATM guitarist Tom Morello's message at Download Festival this weekend.

I’ve just been checked over by an ambulance after a group of foreign lads came up behind me while I was doing a debate stand, dragged me to the ground, and kicked and punched me. I passed out halfway through and don’t remember everything that happened. From what I can recall, it started while I was sitting down, and they took some of my equipment during the assault. The police arrived about five minutes after the assault, recovering as much as they could. One of my cameras exploded when they tried to seize it, or steal it. Instead of running away with it, they destroyed it, causing the battery to explode. However, I have the SD card, and we'll be checking whether the footage is still there so they can identify what actually happened. Members from Stand Up to Racism were counter-protesting, and they were egging them on and filming it. The police did nothing to stop the counter-protesters or retrieve the footage to see what actually happened. I’ll be going to the hospital now, as I have a cut and a number of marks on my neck, bruises on my face and the top of my head, and cuts running down my back.

Whilst the social media ban is well-intentioned, it’s unlikely to work given the mass adoption of VPNs. It will also mean the introduction of Digital ID via the back door. The real answer here is handsets for children with limited features.