Musk accused by PM of exacerbating UK tensions on X in wake of riots

The British Prime Minister’s office on Wednesday said the outspoken tech billionaire Elon Musk had ‘no justification’ for making comments inciting further divisions in the UK after days of anti-immigrant protests have rocked the nation.

Musk’s outspoken viewpoints are now prompting UK lawmakers to push for a speedy installation of the recently passed Online Safety Bill, which would monitor such behavior.

Misinformation and calls to violence spread rapidly across the nation last week in response to the news of the murder of three young girls in the seaside English town of Southport.

Far-right groups first took to the streets last Monday after UK police arrested a 17-year-old boy for the fatal stabbings. Waves of violent anti-Muslim protests have taken place in multiple towns and cities throughout the week, with some protests turning violent.

News reports and video showing protesters clashing with UK police have led Musk to post his own personal commentary on X about the escalating situation.

UK lawmakers became riled after one comment Musk posted on a video clip of the riots, claiming that “Civil war is inevitable.”

Civil war is inevitable

undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2024

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said there was "no justification" for Musk’s comments.

Since the August 3rd post, Musk has repeatedly been weighing on the anti-immigration sentiment in the UK, posting what one might call inflammatory statements and images slamming current government and police immigration policies.

In one of those hotbed posts, Musk singles out the Prime Minister asking “Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?” in a repost about alleged ‘Armed "Muslim patrol" members.” The August 6th comment now has 60 million views.

Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain? @Keir_Starmer https://t.co/gldyguysNe

undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2024

Musk’s X labeled “toxic bot network”

The precarious situation has sparked a call for the British government to speed up the rollout of a UK Online Safety Bill, which would punish social media companies that fail to monitor their platforms for harmful online content, such as posts that incite violence or terrorism.

The Prime Minister spoke directly to social media companies on Wednesday, without mentioning Musk, stating that violent disorder whipped up online constitutes a crime "on your premises."

In the wake of recent violence, lawmakers say the rules should be put in place as soon as possible, instead of the expected roll out sometime next year.

"There must be a tipping point where a foreign billionaire platform owner has to take some responsibility for running a toxic bot network that has become one of the main sources of fake news and misinformation in the UK," said Adam Leon Smith, a fellow at the UK’s ethical tech think tank The Chartered Institute for IT.

Scottish National Party MP Kirsty Blackman also spoke out stating she would back accelerating the original timetable. "Requirements should be brought in as soon as possible, particularly for the biggest and highest-risk platforms," Blackman said.

Musk who has not responded directly to the criticism by British officials, instead posted a Family Guy parody of the animation's main character in an electric chair with the headline " In 2030 for making a Facebook comment that the UK government didn’t like."

In 2030 for making a Facebook comment that the UK government didn’t like pic.twitter.com/UhKDLeCPJb

undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2024

The new bill, which falls under the jurisdiction of the UK Office of Communications, or Ofcom, was passed into law in October but has yet to be implemented. Ofcom is still determining how to apply the law.

Under the bill, Ofcom media regulators could fine social media companies up to 10% of global turnover if they are found in violation of the law.

An Ofcom spokesperson released a statement addressing the urgent call to action stating that the agency was “moving quickly to implement the Online Safety Act so we can enforce it as soon as possible.”

“To do this, we are required to consult on codes of practice and guidance, after which the new safety duties on platforms will become enforceable," it said.

Britain's technology minister Peter Kyle on Tuesday met with TikTok, Meta, Google, and X to discuss Big Tech’s responsibility to help prevent the spread of harmful online content.

Until the Online Safety Bill comes into effect, Ofcom has no power to force social media companies to police their platforms.