Elon Musk Sparks Outrage with Posts Targeting British Government

Recent unrest in the southern English city of Plymouth has brought attention to ongoing right-wing extremist violence in the United Kingdom. Fueling the criticism is X owner Elon Musk, whose comments on the situation are seen as adding fuel to the fire, according to the London government.

Elon Musk's comments on the right-wing extremist and anti-Muslim violence in the UK have sparked outrage. British government officials criticized a post by the multibillionaire on his X platform. In response to an anti-migration comment and a video of the unrest, Musk wrote, "Civil war is inevitable."

Heidi Alexander, the Justice Secretary, called the comment "completely irresponsible" in an interview with Times Radio. "We are seeing police officers being seriously injured and buildings being set on fire," she said.

Operators of online platforms must exercise their power responsibly. Prior to this, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson emphasized that there is no justification for such comments.

New Government Holds Musk Accountable

Musk had demonstrated a good relationship with Starmer's conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak. In November 2023, the two discussed the risks of technology at an international security conference on artificial intelligence.

The new social democratic government made it clear during a meeting between Technology Minister Peter Kyle and representatives of Tiktok, Meta (the parent company of Facebook), Google, and X that these companies have a responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation and hate.

"There is a vast amount of content in circulation that platforms must deal with quickly," said Kyle.

However, the X CEO did not relent. Under a video clip of Starmer in which the new Prime Minister announced that he would not tolerate attacks on mosques or Muslim communities, Musk wrote, "Shouldn't you be concerned about attacks on *all* communities?" Later, the tech billionaire criticized the arrest of a man for offensive comments on Facebook. "Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?" Musk wrote.

Circulating Conspiracy Narratives
According to experts and media reports, entries in social media are fueling the ongoing unrest. False reports are circulating that the perpetrator who stabbed three girls in the city of Southport on July 29 is a Muslim migrant. In reality, a 17-year-old born to Rwandan parents is in custody in the UK. The rumor was also spread by influential accounts and followers of conspiracy theories such as British-American influencer Andrew Tate.

Musk is also accused of lifting bans for known right-wing extremists such as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founder of the English Defence League, known as Tommy Robinson, on X.

Robinson, who had hastily left the country and is reportedly on a luxury vacation according to British media, has been posting calls for anti-Muslim protests and spreading false information for days.

In several cities, mostly right-wing rioters have been attacking the police for days. Several officers have been injured and over 400 people have been arrested so far.

About 100 people have already been charged, said Stephen Parkinson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), to the BBC. Premier Starmer once held this position.

Most recently, there were serious riots in the southern English port city of Plymouth and in Belfast. Police in the Northern Irish capital used rubber bullets for the first time in years as they were attacked by rioters with incendiary devices and bricks. A man between 50 and 60 years old was seriously injured and taken to a hospital. The police believe he was a victim of a hate crime.