Elon Musk Accused Of Egging On Far-Right Rioters In The U.K.

In the wake of recent anti-immigration riots across the United Kingdom, the role of social media platforms and prominent figures in fueling this unrest has come under intense scrutiny.

False information and inflammatory rhetoric online have played a pivotal part in instigating these real-world acts of violence. X owner Elon Musk, in particular, has been accused of actively encouraged anti-immigrant sentiments on the social media platform, with comments that “civil war is inevitable” in response to a post that blamed the demonstrations on the effects of “mass migration and open borders.” His comments have drawn widespread condemnation from government officials.

A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that there is “no justification” for Musk’s inflammatory remarks, which have only served to further exacerbate the situation. Musk has remained steadfast in his position and labeled Starmer as “#TwoTierKier.” He compared Britain to the Soviet Union for its attempt to restrict offensive speech on social media.

The UK government has made it clear that it will not tolerate the spread of disinformation and the online incitement of violence. The UK government has begun a broad crackdown on the rioters. A 28-year-old man in Leeds, northern England, became the first person to be charged for “threatening words or behavior intending to stir up racial hatred” online, with alleged Facebook posts.

Musk has recently been embroiled in a fight with his transgender daughter who resents his public comments about her.

The riots that have erupted in recent days have seen rioters damage public buildings, set cars on fire, and hurl bricks at police officers. The unrest was sparked by a false online narrative that the perpetrator of a stabbing attack, which left three children dead, was a Muslim asylum seeker. However, the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in the U.K., as confirmed by the police.

Despite the authorities’ efforts to correct the record, the false claims about the attack continued to spread rapidly online and garnered thousands of mentions on the X platform alone.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank, has highlighted the role of platform algorithms in the amplification of this misinformation, “The false name attributed to the attacker was circulated organically but also recommended to users by platform algorithms.”