Elon Musk has clashed with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X, accusing the British leader of discriminatory “two-tiered” policing as authorities scramble to clamp down on violent far-right riots against Muslims and immigrants that have rocked the country for a week.
The posts came after 10 Downing Street on Monday criticised earlier comments by the billionaire and technology entrepreneur on his X platform, saying that Musk “does not speak for Britain”.
The posts came after 10 Downing Street on Monday criticised earlier comments by the billionaire and technology entrepreneur on his X platform, saying that Musk “does not speak for Britain”.
Hundreds of rioters have been arrested in the wake of violence that first started in the northern English town of Southport and has spread across England and Northern Ireland. Scores of police officers have been wounded in the violence.
On Sunday, Musk tweeted that “civil war is inevitable,” in the UK, in response to a post claiming that “open borders and migration” had led to the protests.
The anti-migration narrative that is being spread on social channels has been blamed for sparking the disorder in the first place, after misinformation spread online that a 17-year-old suspect who killed three girls in a mass stabbing in Southport was a Muslim immigrant. That claim has since been debunked, as the suspect is confirmed to have been born in the UK.
“There’s no justification for comments like that,” a spokesperson for Starmer told reporters. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online. We’re talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain … I think you can tell from that that the prime minister does not share those sentiments.”
However, Musk only appears to be doubling down on his criticism of the UK government since 10 Downing Street’s rebuke.
The billionaire has since Monday retweeted or commented under posts attacking UK authorities for arresting and charging suspects arrested for taking part in the riots.
In one response to a post that claimed that an “armed Muslim” patrol group had attacked civilians and a news network crew, Musk directly tweeted at Prime Minister Starmer, asking: “Why aren’t all communities protected?”
Musk has also tweeted in support of those attacking officials for arresting people believed to have posted offensive comments online, espousing a “free speech absolutist” stance he has long pushed. He posted a meme of a cartoon character strapped to an electrocution chair and likened the scene to the punishment people would face for posting their views online in the UK by 2030.
“Musk and others would claim … the right of free speech and for people to say what they want, but there is a very thin line here,” Lee McGowan, a professor studying far-right groups at Belfast’s Queen’s University, told Al Jazeera.
“These influencers are channelling hate. In Belfast, we have seen some shops attacked even where the owners – who are paying taxes and contributing to society – and are legally entitled to be here, have had their premises attacked and burnt out.”
Musk further tweeted the hashtag #TwoTierKeir, referencing controversial theories being spread that claim authorities are cracking down more severely on the protesting groups than on minorities.
