"Civil war is inevitable" London sharply criticizes Elon Musk's statements on riots
Stores run by Muslims were destroyed in Belfast.
Image: dpa
The rioters caused serious damage.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Musk met with former Prime Minister Sunak for a tech chat.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Technology Minister Kyle met with social media companies.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
In Southport, there is great sadness over the death of three girls.
Image: dpa
Stores run by Muslims were destroyed in Belfast.
Image: dpa
The rioters caused serious damage.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Musk met with former Prime Minister Sunak for a tech chat.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
Technology Minister Kyle met with social media companies.
Image: dpa (Archivbild)
In Southport, there is great sadness over the death of three girls.
Image: dpa
"Civil war is inevitable": Elon Musk provokes with statements on the riots in the UK. Experts agree that posts on platforms such as X are fueling the riots.
06.08.2024, 23:34
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In the UK, comments by Elon Musk about the right-wing extremist and anti-Muslim riots have caused great outrage.
- British government members criticized a post by the multi-billionaire on his online platform X. In response to an anti-migration comment and a video of the riots, he wrote: "Civil war is inevitable."
- Using terms such as "civil war" was unacceptable and completely irresponsible, Secretary of State for Justice Heidi Alexander told Times Radio.
- Starmer's spokesperson had previously emphasized that there was no justification for such comments.
Elon Musk's comments on the right-wing extremist and anti-Muslim riots in the UK have caused outrage. British government members criticized a post by the multi-billionaire on his online platform X. In response to an anti-migration comment and a video of the riots, Musk wrote: "Civil war is inevitable." Musk later followed this up by mocking the statements and actions of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Using terms like "civil war" was unacceptable and completely irresponsible, Secretary of State for Justice Heidi Alexander told Times Radio. "We are seeing police officers being seriously injured and buildings being set on fire." Operators of online platforms must exercise their power responsibly. Starmer's spokesperson had previously emphasized that there was no justification for such comments.
Musk had demonstrated a good relationship with Starmer's conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak. In November 2023, the two discussed the risks of the technology at an international security conference on artificial intelligence.
At a meeting between Technology Minister Peter Kyle and representatives from Tiktok, Facebook parent company Meta, Google and X, the new social democratic government made it clear that the companies had a responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation and hate speech. "There is an enormous amount of content in circulation that the platforms need to deal with quickly," said Kyle.
But the X boss went one better. Under a video clip of Starmer, in which the head of government announced, among other things, 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 fact that a man was arrested for offensive comments on Facebook: "Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?"
Finally, Musk took up a right-wing conspiracy theory and mocked Starmer as "two-tier Keir". The online claim of "two-tier policing" insinuates that the police are tougher on ultra-nationalists than on foreign criminals.
Fake news on social media
According to experts and the media, posts on social media are fueling the unrest that has been going on for days. False reports are circulating that the attacker who stabbed three girls to death in the town of Southport on July 29 was a Muslim migrant. In fact, a 17-year-old who was born in the UK to Rwandan parents is in custody. Eight children were also injured in the crime. They have all since been released from hospital.
The rumor was also spread by high-reach accounts and followers of conspiracy theories such as the British-American influencer Andrew Tate. Musk is also accused of lifting the bans on X for known right-wing extremists such as the founder of the English Defence League, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.
Serious riots in Plymouth and Belfast
In several cities, mostly right-wing rioters have been attacking the police for days. Several officers have been injured and more than 400 people have been arrested so far. Around 100 people have already been charged, the head of the CPS, Stephen Parkinson, told the BBC.
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 when they were attacked by rioters with incendiary devices and bricks. A man aged between 50 and 60 was seriously injured and taken to hospital. The police assume that he was the victim of a hate crime.
